Junior Doctors in Hyderabad in a candle light march in protest against rape-murder of a trainee doctor.
Doctors must practice without fear, said Indian Medical Association chief Dr RV Asokan after meeting Health Minister JP Nadda in Delhi today in connection with the rape and murder of a woman trainee doctor at a Kolkata hospital.
"The security of doctors is very important. Doctors must practice without fear," said Dr Asokan.
The president of the Indian Medical Association or IMA - the biggest grouping of doctors in the country - told NDTV the demands the body placed before the Union Health Minister.
"The main demand was that all the hospitals across the country should be declared safe zones. Safe zones are entitled to certain security measures. It's important because the number of women doctors in the profession is increasing. The proportion of lady doctors is now around 60 per cent. So, the security aspect is very important," Dr Asokan said.
"Then we also asked for the oft-repeated central law against violence against doctors. He (JP Nadda) said there were some limitations in front of the government. He said he would (still) consider this and come out with a statement," he added.
He also welcomed the Calcutta High Court sanctioning a CBI inquiry into the case, terming it a "confidence-boosting step".
The Calcutta High Court today ordered the transfer of the probe into the alleged rape and death of the 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor while on duty last Thursday to the CBI, five days before the deadline issued by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to the Kolkata Police.
"If the police are unable to solve this case by Sunday, then we will not keep this case in our hands, we will hand it over to CBI," she said after several doctors launched an indefinite nationwide protest to ensure their demands are met and justice is served.
The woman doctor's semi-naked body was found in the seminar hall of the government-run PG Kar Medical College on Friday morning. A civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police was arrested in this connection on Saturday.
Doctors have launched a nationwide protest over the "unsafe" working conditions in the hospitals, leading to disruption in hospital services in several cities. A CBI probe in the case was also one of the foremost demands of the doctors. The other demands include a fast-track court and the formation of a committee for the implementation of the Central Protection Act in all hospitals.
"Resident doctors are an important part of the doctor population and they are our frontline warriors. They contributed so much during Covid and their services are important. We will be talking to them about whatever transpired in the meeting, Dr Asokan said.
The IMA chief said he would be in Kolkata tomorrow to meet Mamata Banerjee.
"We are going to study the issue. What are the gaps? Why did such a thing happen? We will certainly be talking to the Chief Minister about this," he said.
The trainee doctor's post-mortem report indicated that the accused had hit her so hard that the glasses of her spectacles shattered, shards piercing her eyes. He sexually assaulted her and then killed her by smothering her, said the report that estimates the time of death between 3 am and 5 am on Friday.