On Sunday, junior physicians at state-run hospitals resumed their cease-work in protest, seeking justice for the lady doctor who was raped and killed at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in West Bengal. This resulted in ongoing disruptions to healthcare services for the eleventh day in a row.
Even though prominent doctors were attending the emergency department to treat visiting patients, there was less of a rush because government hospital outpatient departments (OPDs) are closed on Sundays.
“We oppose changes to healthcare services. We are aware of the difficulties the patients are facing, but in light of the rape and murder of an on-call physician, we feel that our protest is quite pertinent. Is this what we should anticipate when we go to work? We’ll keep protesting until our sister receives justice and the government provides us with complete protection,” an irate man said.
On August 9, the lady postgraduate trainee doctor’s body was discovered within the hospital’s seminar hall. The following day, a community volunteer was taken into custody for his suspected role in the crime.
The junior physicians have been requesting that the victim’s post-mortem examination report be made public and that the perpetrators be punished as soon as possible.
On August 13, the Calcutta High Court directed that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which began its investigation on August 14, take over the case from the Kolkata Police.