Doctors, medical students raise slogans during their protest against the killing of a female doctor.
Medical students from different colleges under the aegis of House Surgeon Students Union and PG Doctors Association staged a mass protest in front of the Secretariat in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram district on Wednesday after a woman doctor was stabbed to death in Kottarakkara Taluk Hospital.
After the shocking incident on Wednesday, the doctors in the state launched an emergency 24 hour-strike which will continue on Thursday also. The strike will be observed by various medical associations including the students unions in the state.
Kerala Government Medical Teachers Organisation, State General Secretary Dr Roshnara Beegum told the ANI that the strike will continue till the government takes a firm decision on the security of doctors.
"We have been already telling the administrators of the attacks we have been facing. Today a sad incident took place and we are standing here with deep grief, we urge the government to take necessary steps to urge the security of all the students faculty, health care workers in this state. So that we can work without any fear. We will be continuing our strike till a firm decision from the government is taken on our security", Dr Roshnara Beegum said.
She also urged that the Hospital Protection Act Amendment should be implemented immediately.
"The Hospital Protection Act Amendment should be implemented, no action has been taken so far. We want that action to be taken fast", she said.
Beegum further added, "It's really pathetic that all the doctors have to come to the streets, this is the inefficiency of the government where such incidents take place. If you look at the past 2-3 years so many incidents have taken place and none of the accused have been convicted. It is clearly the inefficiency. Tomorrow all services will be stopped except emergency services and doctors including the house surgeons, PG, and MBBS Students will go on strike."
A woman doctor on duty at a government hospital in Kerala's Kollam district was stabbed to death on Wednesday by a school teacher who was brought to the facility for a medical examination by the Police.
The incident took place at the government taluk hospital in Kottarakkara, police said.
The doctor later succumbed to stab injuries at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram where she was admitted this morning.
Earlier, taking suo moto cognizance of the incident in which a woman doctor was stabbed to death, Kerala High Court on Wednesday slammed the state government and asked to shut down the hospitals if the government cannot protect the doctors.
The Division Bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice Kauser Edappagath while taking up the matter suo moto criticised the state government and the police strongly. The court said, "If you can't protect the doctors, shut down the hospitals."
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