Representing the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education, doctors in Chandigarh held a 12-hour-long hunger strike on Tuesday. Demanding justice for their counterpart, a resident doctor who was raped and murdered at the Kolkata RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
The hunger strike, which began at 9 AM, was a way of expressing solidarity with their colleagues and also to put pressure on the government for immediate action. Pradeep Reddy, one of the doctors on hunger strike, said that doctors across the state had been protesting for 200 hours. Yet justice had still not been delivered.
Reddy also told , “We are on a 12-hour hunger strike in solidarity with our fellow doctors. The strike of our doctors has crossed 200 hours. Due to this, out of seven students, five have fainted. Why is the state government not paying heed to our demands? We are not asking for something big; we are asking for proper safety and fast-track justice. We are not hooligans; we are a responsible part of society demanding justice.”
Dr. Reddy also said that the doctors had earlier withdrawn their agitation out a respect for the highest court of the land, but the situation turned out to be no different. “We will decide what to do next after this hunger strike,” he said.
Another doctor present at the strike explained that it was also in solidarity with doctors protesting across the country. “It is the 10th day since our colleagues in West Bengal started their hunger strike. And nobody has paid any attention to them. We hope this strike spreads awareness and shows support for their cause. We are still waiting for the Supreme Court to take action.”
The doctor explains that their demands are not complicated; they are not intense. “Our demands everywhere are the same. We want basic protection measures to be implemented and want justice regarding our friend. Why doesn’t the government answer our reasonable demands?” asked the doctor.
It came a day after the RDA of AIIMS, New Delhi, shot off an urgent letter to the President of India on Monday. Demanding immediate intervention into the doctors’ agitation on hunger strike in West Bengal. This protest has also been highly publicized, as doctors from many parts of the country have joined in unison. Protesting for justice and implementation of better safety for health workers.
ANI
