Kolkata: Congress MP Adhir Chowdhury has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to solve the impasse over healthcare services being disrupted in West Bengal after junior doctors went on strike over assault on an intern after the death of a patient.
"I am drawing your attention to the grave situation prevailing in West Bengal where doctors of all medical colleges, hospitals are on strike in the wake of brutal assault on junior doctors at NRS Hospital in Kolkata ... You are requested to intervene as early as possible," the senior Congress leader wrote in a letter to Modi.
Healthcare services were disrupted in Bengal on Wednesday for the second consecutive day after junior doctors stopped working in all the state-run medical institutions following the assault on an intern in a city hospital.
The doctors started the protest after an intern at the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital was seriously injured, following a clash between junior doctors and relatives of a patient who died late on Monday night due to alleged medical negligence.
The agitation of junior doctors at the NRS Medical College and Hospital later spread to other medical colleges and hospital leading to disruption of regular services.
All departments, including pathological laboratories, out-patient department stopped working following the agitation of the junior doctors.
Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has directed members of all its state branches to stage protests and wear black badges on Friday.
In a communique to all its state presidents and secretaries, the IMA has asked them to organise demonstrations in front of the district collectors' offices from 10 am to 12 noon on Friday and hand over a memorandum addressed to the prime minister to the collectors in every district.
The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) has also urged its members to observe a "Black Day" against the brutal attack on Thursday.
"The state branches are expected to release a press statement on Friday expressing solidarity with the resident doctors and condemning the violence. The statement also should emphatically demand a central Act on violence against doctors and hospitals," the communique said.
Simultaneously, all the local branches and individual members of the IMA will send an appeal to the prime minister and the Union home minister, demanding a central Act on violence against doctors and hospitals.
The IMA has also urged its state branches to communicate the information to the government doctors' organisations of the states, request for their support and issue a press statement to this effect.
"The gruesome incident in NRS Medical College, Kolkata is of barbaric nature. IMA condemns the violence perpetrated on a young doctor. The entire medical fraternity expresses solidarity with the resident doctors who are on strike. The IMA headquarters hereby declares All India Protest Day on Friday," the statement said.
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