Doctors Protest Across Punjab and Haryana Over Kolkata Tragedy

Healthcare professionals across Punjab and Haryana held protests demanding safety at workplaces following the alleged rape and murder of a trainee woman doctor at a Kolkata hospital. Outpatient services were disrupted, while emergency services remained unaffected. The Indian Medical Association called for a 24-hour withdrawal of non-emergency services nationwide.

Doctors across Punjab and Haryana staged protests on Saturday, demanding safety at their workplaces in the wake of the alleged rape and murder of a trainee female doctor at a state-run hospital in Kolkata.

Outpatient department services were halted and elective surgeries postponed, though emergency services continued unaffected, according to the protesting doctors.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) issued a nationwide call for the withdrawal of non-emergency services for 24 hours starting 6 am on Saturday, to protest the incidents at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata and the ensuing vandalism at the facility.

Meanwhile, the resident doctors at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh extended their protest, which entered its sixth day. While OPD services were halted, emergency and critical care services continued uninterrupted.

The Faculty Association of PGIMER, Chandigarh, has lent its support to the IMA's strike call. IMA's Punjab Unit advisor Navjot Dahiya confirmed that doctors were protesting against the deplorable crime in Kolkata.

Medical professionals organized sit-ins across Patiala, Amritsar, and Ludhiana, calling for justice for the victim and heightened safety measures for doctors. A protesting doctor in Amritsar questioned the safety of medics within hospital premises, urging for hospitals to be declared safe zones with adequate security arrangements.

(With inputs from agencies.)