Up doctors’ security, says Centre as stir snowballs
The central government ordered hospitals to increase security by up to 25% amid nationwide protests by doctors over the rape and murder in Kolkata.
The central government ordered all hospitals under it to review security protocols and increase their security force by up to 25% as officials in both Delhi and Kolkata struggled to contain the anger of the medical community over the rape and murder in the West Bengal capital earlier this month.
In the Capital, with hundreds of doctors holding kerbside clinics outside its office, the Union health ministry met representatives of the doctors’ association still striking work but was unable to come to reach an agreement.
In Kolkata, government hospitals were crowded as junior doctors continued their strike, prompting senior physicians to step in but even the seniors were angry with the government of chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
A group of senior doctors took out a march to the city police headquarters over a notice to two renowned physicians for their alleged public comments over the alleged rape-murder at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Protests and strikes by doctors continued in Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat. In Bengal, lawyers too joined the protest.
At the Supreme Court, where judges are due to hold a hearing on Tuesday after taking cognisance of the incident on their own, two doctor groups — Federation of Association of Medical Consultants of India (FAMCI) and the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) — filed petitions to be part of the hearing.
Outside Nirman Bhawan in Delhi, which houses the Union health ministry office, a doctor tending to patients on the road said: “At the hospital, there is no safety or protection. At least here, we have police around us, so we can treat patients here.” A second doctor said the OPD (out-patient department) on the road outside was part of a symbolic protest.
Inside, officials held discussions but were unable to come to an understanding with the medical professionals. “There are several resident doctor associations that are active not just in Delhi but in other states and the list of demands vary. One group agrees on measures suggested by us after we meet and decides to call off their strike, but some others then find problems and refuse to call their stir off. This has been going on since the talks began on August 12,” said a senior official from the Union ministry of health and family welfare, asking not to be named.
The health ministry official pointed out that health and law and order are state subjects and that there are at least 26 states, including West Bengal, that currently have dedicated laws in place to handle violence against medical professionals that makes violence against medical professionals a cognisable and non-bailable offence.
This person said the latest demand is now of an ordinance to penalise violence against doctors. “We were trying to explain to them that a law will not make a difference in crimes like rape and murder that we saw in the case of RG Kar Hospital as it is not a case of patient-doctor violence. There already are laws in place under BNS,” the official added.
The official added that Monday’s directive to central government hospitals also includes a security review and a suggestion to employ marshals as needed, and that this follows the directive issued on Friday asking them to register institutional FIRs in cases of violence.
A committee is also being set up to look at some of the working conditions, including restrooms, how well-lit a facility is, better duty assignment systems and transport facilities.
But the doctors appeared to be steadfast on their demands. Dr Amarinder Singh Malhi, general secretary, faculty association of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, said the government must now bring an ordinance like it did during the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. “That ordinance was very detailed and can be implemented as is.”
In April 2020, the government brought an ordinance to protect health care workers from attacks. Attacking a medical professional became punishable with up to seven years in prison with the ordinance — these provisions lapsed once the pandemic was over.
The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), which was part of the meeting at Nirman Bhawan, said they will continue with their strike as a meeting with the central government failed to reach an agreement. “Today’s meeting between doctors and the @MoHFW_INDIA (health ministry) concluded without reaching an agreement. As a result, @FAIMA_INDIA_ will continue their strike,” the association said in a post on X. “We are now awaiting the decision of the Supreme Court for further direction on this matter,” the doctors’ body said.
Following the announcement, affiliated organisations in states made similar announcements. Dr Pratik Debaje, president of the Maharashtra State Association of Residential Doctors, told PTI cited the meeting in Delhi to announce the strike would continue.
The current anger is also in large part attributed to perceived missteps by the Banerjee administration and the authorities of the hospital where the doctor — a postgraduate trainee — was killed.
The counsel for the victim’s family Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya accused the West Bengal government of trying to influence witnesses in the case.
Speaking to news agency ANI, he said, “The role of the CM in the state of West Bengal is very condemnable. Wherever there is rape she wants to immediately get into contact with the victim’s family, pay them money and say everything is over. Unfortunately, she has fixed a rate card for the rape victims. She attempts to purchase the witnesses, that attempt was also made in this case. The parents of the victim girl firmly refused it because they did not like to be part of the game played by the CM.”
The Trinamool Congress, to which Banerjee belongs, hit back at the allegations by opposition parties. Speaking at a press conference, party MP Kunal Ghosh said: “The pain is not political but the pain of the people on social media is being converted into a political slogan and this will not be tolerated. There is no objection to the pain you are expressing on social media and the protest you are doing. You can say anything but the language should be appropriate. It is wrong to spread fake reports, fake audio, fake news about the picture and postmortem report. Do not do this, this is objectionable.”