Amid a strike organized by doctors to protest the rape and murder of a female postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, AIIMS Delhi has reported a significant decrease in patient services. Admissions, outpatient departments (OPDs), and operation theatres (OTs) have seen more than a 90% reduction in activity.
Despite the strike, emergency services and intensive care units (ICUs) are functioning normally, according to an official report from the medical superintendent of AIIMS Delhi.
However, the strike has severely impacted OPDs, admissions, operation theatres, radiological investigations, and nuclear medicine services, with a reduction of over 90%. Laboratory services have also been affected by more than 80%.
Following the nationwide strike called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in response to the RG Kar Medical College incident, doctors at AIIMS in Delhi staged a protest march on Saturday, carrying posters and chanting slogans of “We want justice.”
IMA’s national president, Dr. Asokan, stated on Saturday that it is time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the case of the trainee doctor’s rape and murder at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata. He also mentioned that the association would be writing to the prime minister regarding the issue.
While emergency services and casualty departments will continue to operate, the IMA announced that OPDs and elective surgeries would be suspended from 6 a.m. on Saturday until 6 a.m. on Sunday, August 18, 2024.
The work stoppage has affected thousands of patients across India, with protests — primarily led by women — intensifying in recent days to demand a safer working environment for medical professionals.
The rape and murder of a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor on duty at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata on August 9 sparked nationwide protests within the medical community. A police volunteer working at the hospital has been detained in connection with the crime, but the victim’s family alleges it was a gang rape involving multiple individuals.
