Kolkata doctor’s rape-murder case: Nationwide medical shutdown to affect health services in Odisha

Health services have been badly hit due to the ongoing strike by medical students across Odisha in protest against the rape and murder of a 31-year-old junior doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. All the services except the emergency services have been halted due to the development. With the Indian Medical Association (IMA) calling for 24-hour nationwide medical shutdown starting from Saturday, things are likely to get worse as all the professors, doctors and medical students will join the strike.

In a powerful display of solidarity, medical students in Bhubaneswar AIIMS, SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, VIMSAR in Burla and Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College in Baripada have joined the protest by hitting the streets and shouting slogans demanding justice for the victim.

As per reports, junior doctors have stopped all kinds of services except emergency services. OPD, OT and laboratory services have also been stopped. The protesting doctors have been demanding an immediate investigation into the incident, justice for the victim and safety and security for doctors and health workers across the country. They have also threatened to continue their strike until their demands are met.

“We demand that a Central Protection Act should be enacted for the doctors. The victim should get immediate justice and all the doctors across the country should be provided proper safety and security,” said a medical student of AIIMS, Bhubaneswar.

“We have stopped the elected services. If our demands are not met within 72 hours, we will be forced to stop the emergency services as well,” said a medical student of VIMSAR in Burla.

Meanwhile, patients across the State are facing severe problems due to the ongoing protests by the medical students. While AIIMS, Bhubaneswar provides treatment to around 4,000 to 5,000 patients on a daily basis, the number of patients considerably reduced below 1,000 today. Several patients coming from different parts of the State also faced several problems in getting treatment at the SCB Medical College and Hospital. Similar was the case in all other hospitals.

“My mother has not been getting proper treatment for the last three/four days due to the ongoing strike by the doctors,” rued an attendant of a patient in SCB.

“Resident doctors have joined the protest. However, essential services are still continuing. We have put some restrictions in OPD,” said Prof Ashutosh Biswas, Executive Director of AIIMS, Bhubaneswar.

“Leaves of all the senior doctors and faculties have been cancelled so as there will be no interruption in the treatment of the patients. I request only serious patients to come to SCB during the strike period,” said SCB Superintendent Prof, Sudhansu Sekhar Mishra.

Meanwhile, considering the possible effects of the nationwide medical shutdown call, Odisha Directorate of Medical Education & Training (DMET) Director Santosh Mishra assured that no government doctors would take part in the strike.

“Government doctors will not participate in the strike. Only the junior doctors and house surgeons will join the protest. However, all of them will do emergency treatment, Health services will be affected to some extent. But the available doctors will have to work hard,” said Mishra.