By Jennifer Amarachi
Indian doctors held a nationwide strike on Saturday, intensifying protests following the “barbaric” rape and murder of their colleague, which has sparked outrage at the ongoing issue of violence against women.
The bloodied body of the 31-year-old doctor was discovered at a state-run hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata on August 9, sparking furious protests in several cities across the nation.
In Kolkata, thousands of people held a candle-lit vigil into the early hours of Saturday morning.
“Hands that heal shouldn’t bleed,” read one sign held by a protester in the eastern city.
“Enough is enough,” read another at a rally by doctors in the capital New Delhi.
“Hang the rapist,” another said.
The slain doctor was discovered in the teaching hospital’s lecture hall, indicating that she had gone there to relax after working a 36-hour shift.
An autopsy proved the sexual assault, and the victim’s parents claimed in a court appeal that their daughter had been gang-raped. One man was held while working at the hospital, assisting patients in navigating long lines.
However, an outraged public accused Kolkata police of mishandling the case, and the city’s High Court shifted the probe to India’s top Central Bureau of probe in order to “inspire public confidence”.
Government hospitals in numerous states ceased elective treatments “indefinitely” on Monday, with multiple medical unions in both government and private systems supporting the walkout.
On Saturday morning, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) escalated demonstrations by declaring a 24-hour “nationwide withdrawal of services” and suspending all non-essential treatments. “We ask for the nation’s understanding and support in this struggle for justice for its doctors and daughters,” IMA CEO R.V.
Asokan said in a statement ahead of the strike. The IMA described the killing as “barbaric”.
“The 36-hour duty shift that the victim was in and the lack of safe spaces to rest… warrant a thorough overhaul of the working and living conditions of the resident doctors,” the American Medical Association (IMA) stated in a statement.
Doctors are thereby requesting that the Central Protection Act, a bill aimed at protecting healthcare professionals from violence, be implemented.
“There is a lack of proper infrastructure,” said 29-year-old Akanksha Tyagi, a resident at the Lady Hardinge Medical College in New Delhi who took part in one of the multiple protests around the country.
“After working for 24-36 hours at a stretch, there’s no proper place for us to rest,” she said.
At Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia public hospital, one of the city’s busiest, many who had turned up for their scheduled appointments were turned away.
Shivdev Kumar, 50, had travelled over 20 kilometres (12 miles) with the tuberculosis reports of his daughter, only to find the doctor’s room locked.
“I had no idea, otherwise I would not have such a long way,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought speedy punishment on Thursday for anyone who perpetrate “monstrous” acts against women.
Sexual assault against women is a significant problem in India, with approximately 90 rapes reported every day in 2022.
For many, the heinous nature of the hospital attack has drawn
parallels with the brutal 2012 gang rape and murder of a young woman aboard a Delhi bus.
