Resignation of New Principal And Top Cops, Central Forces on Campus: RG Kar Doctors' 3 Key Demands

Kolkata: Protesting trainee doctors and medical students from Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital demanded resignation of senior Kolkata police officials and top members of hospital administration on Friday. doctors' demands include resignation of current Principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Commissioner of Police in Kolkata, Officer in Charge of Tala, and Deputy Commissioner of Police for rth Kolkata, citing ir inadequate response to mob attack on Independence Day eve.

For unversed, resident doctors have launched an indefinite strike to express solidarity with nationwide agitation against rape-murder of a post-graduate trainee in Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.

IMA, on or hand, has declared a 24-hour nationwide withdrawal of n-emergency medical services (from 6 am on Saturday to 6 am on Sunday) to protest against alleged rape and killing of a trainee woman doctor and vandalism at a state-run medical college in Kolkata.  

IMA's 5 Demands

Speaking to reporters, Indian Medical Association (IMA) chief Dr RV Ashokan demanded that all hospitals across country should be declared safe zones like airports so that doctors can work without fear.

"Airports are safe zones with a three-layer security, so at least in major hospitals, re has to be a security protocol and y should be declared as safe zones as that will entitle m for a mandatory security protocol," Asokan said.

Secondly, re should be a central law to check violence on healthcare workers, he said. Asokan said 25 states have laws against attacks on doctors and hospitals but re have been convictions so far. se laws are mostly ineffective on ground and do t serve purpose of deterrence, he added.

"We request government to reconsider introducing draft Healthcare Service Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of Violence and Dam to Property) Bill, 2019, incorporating amendments in Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 as approved and passed by Parliament in Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Act, 2020," Asokan said.

IMA has also demanded that family of victim in Kolkata incident be given a decent and dignified compensation. "One of our demands is that decent and dignified compensation should be provided to victim's family, commensurate with nature of crime," Asokan said.

He said IMA also demands a decent investigation, time-bound prosecution as well as appropriate punishment for culprits. And fifth and final demand of doctors' body is regarding working hours and working conditions of resident doctors, Asokan said.

"This resident doctor ( Kolkata victim) was on duty for 36 straight hours. Is this correct? For how many hours do you want a doctor to be on duty? It will be humanly possible for eight hours or 12 hours, but to deploy a doctor for 36 hours? Mistakes are bound to happen. It is neir good for patients r for doctors," he added. 

Mamata leads protest rally in Kolkata

Mamata Banerjee on Friday led a protest rally from Moulali to Dorina crossing in Kolkata, demanding justice for a woman doctor, who was allegedly raped and murdered at a state-run hospital last week.

TMC activists, who accompanied Banerjee, shouted slogans for capital punishment for accused, a demand that chief minister has already made. woman post-graduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered in seminar room of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.

A civic volunteer has been arrested in connection with crime next day. A group of around 40 people entered hospital and vandalised emergency department, nursing unit and medicine store in early hours of Thursday.

mob also damd CCTV cameras at state-run health facility and ransacked a st where junior doctors had been demonstrating against alleged rape and murder of woman doctor re and demanding security at ir workplace.