Maharashtra resident doctors to tie rakhis to cops; ‘challenge to the system to protect us’

The indefinite strike by resident doctors in Maharashtra over the Kolkata rape-murder incident will continue, with their association on Sunday (August 18) demanding that all government-run medical colleges and hospitals be declared safe zones and Central Healthcare Protection Act implemented.

The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), leading the strike since August 13, said medicos would tie rakhis to government officials, college administrators, police, security personnel, nurses, and healthcare workers on Monday (August 19) as part of the ongoing protest.

Resident doctors have been on strike since Tuesday (August 13) to express solidarity with their counterparts from other cities demonstrating against the rape and murder of a junior trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata dated August 9.

‘Tying rakhis not merely symbolic’

"This act of tying rakhis is not merely symbolic; it is a direct challenge to the system to protect us from the violent mob attack on our doctors and medical students. We, the resident doctors of Maharashtra, stand united in outrage and action. This is not just a call for justice. This is a demand for immediate, uncompromising protective reforms," MARD stated.

According to MARD, letters, along with rakhis, will be sent to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), demanding that all government medical colleges and hospitals be declared safe zones.

‘Doctors’ lives not negotiable’

The association demanded that PM Narendra Modi ensure the speedy implementation of the Central Healthcare Protection Act "because doctors’ lives are not negotiable".

"We will not wait for another tragedy. Our protest will continue, and we are halting elective services - OPD, ward duties, elective surgeries, lab duties, and academic duties until justice is served and a concrete decision is made on the Central Healthcare Protection Act. We refuse to back down until we see real and lasting change," the MARD added.

Emergency services will remain operational during the strike, the association said, adding that doctors will not rest until their demands are met and safety is assured.

Assault on female doctor in Mumbai

Notably, amid the nationwide outrage and protests over the Kolkata incident, a female doctor was allegedly assaulted at the civic-run Sion hospital in Mumbai in the early hours of Sunday.

Police have booked three persons, including two women, and detained two of them, an official said.

The accused allegedly targeted the doctor when she was cleaning blood from the ear of a man at the casualty ward of the facility, officially known as Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital and Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College, police had said.

(With agency inputs)