RG Kar Crime Only Symptom, Nothing Short of Renaissance Could Fix the Mess: IMA Chief

New Delhi: With young medics' indefinite hunger strike in West Bengal entering ninth day on Tuesday, Indian Medical Association chief Dr R V Asokan said doctors have always been "soft targets" and that "injustice inflicted on medical fraternity has no parallel".

Doctors in West Bengal began ir hunger strike on October 5, following nearly 50 days of 'cease work' in two phases, over rape and murder of a postgruate trainee at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.

In a statement, posted on X by IMA , Dr Asokan said on Tuesday that from word go a doctor in India is a "slave chained by Bond system".

In post titled "Meek shall inherit Earth", Dr Asokan said rape and murder of resident doctor at Kolkata's R G Kar Hospital and Medical College has brought out "rot that has set in country's medical colleges".

"We are witness to how sacrifice of young resident suffocated and raped to a brutal death is haunting empire. Her death brought out rot that has set in our medical colleges," he said.

Comparing doctors' agitation to Fast undertaken by Mahatma Gandhi in Kolkata in sunset hours of British Empire, he said "children of Hippocrates are waging a war by silence and suffering. State has no clue." He raised questions on wher residents who are postgruates are re to learn clinical medicine or are employees of state to run medical colleges.

"Who is responsible for 30 hours duty rosters? Who is accountable for 100 hours a week burden of se children? How many young suicides will open our eyes to horror that our medical colleges have become," he asked.

He furr said that re are 706 medical colleges and 72 more are on anvil.

He said 1.5 lakh MBBS doctors unemployed at any given time are "loitering in inhumane coaching institutions". Governments cry of shortage yet have no clue how to deploy se fine gruates of medicine, he said.

Dr Asokan furr stressed that crime at RG Kar is only a symptom and "nothing short of a renaissance could fix mess. Maybe we doctors were soft to be misunderstood as meek".

"One RG Kar is more than enough, It is just a wake-up call. Invest in Health. violence in Hospitals is directly related to deces of criminal underfunding. Industrialisation of Healthcare is not answer. Redeem Health," he said.

Meanwhile, several junior doctors and medical students across India observed a 12-hour-long hunger strike on Tuesday to express ir solidarity with striking doctors in Kolkata following a nationwide hunger strike call given by IMA 's junior doctors' wing.

young doctors initially went on "cease work" following alleged rape and murder of ir colleague on August 9. y ended ir stir after 42 days on September 21 following assurances from state government to look into ir demands.

However, y began indefinite fast at Dorina Crossing in Dharmatala in heart of Kolkata again claiming that government did not fulfil ir demands.

Some of demands of protesters are justice for ir colleague, immediate removal of Health Secretary N S Nigam, and formation of task forces to ensure essential provisions for CCTV, on-call rooms and washrooms at ir workplace.