19 august 2024 : Dr. Baljit Kaur, the Minister for Social Security and Development of Women, convened a meeting today with more than 200 resident doctors from Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital in Faridkot. The doctors are advocating for the nationwide enactment of a stringent “Central Protection Act” aimed at ensuring the safety of the medical community.
In response to the recent tragic incident involving the rape and murder of a doctor on duty in Kolkata, the doctors have halted all non-essential and elective services since Friday. Dr. Baljit Kaur expressed her support for the doctors’ concerns regarding their safety during work hours, assuring that the state government would facilitate the installation of CCTV cameras and enhance police presence by assigning female officers to hospitals to protect all medical staff, especially women.
She urged the doctors to return to their duties, emphasizing the difficulties patients are experiencing due to the service suspension. Nevertheless, the resident doctors maintained that they would persist with their protest until they receive guarantees regarding their safety while working in hospitals.
The medical professionals contended that the healthcare community has been increasingly subjected to violent incidents, particularly in government hospitals nationwide, and the recent event serves as a stark reminder of the serious risks faced by those in the medical field.
In a related development, Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh addressed the West Bengal Governor and Chief Minister in a letter, responding to the public outrage following the Kolkata incident. He highlighted the urgent need to tackle the “delay in justice.”
“With profound concern regarding the slow progress in delivering justice for the victim of the Kolkata rape and murder, an incident that has deeply affected us all, I have submitted a sincere appeal to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of West Bengal, Ms. @MamataOfficial Ji, and Hon’ble @BengalGovernor, urging them to take prompt and effective action,” Harbhajan stated in a post on X. — TNS.
