NEW DELHI: Indian healthcare services across the country were severely hit on Saturday as doctors shunned OPDs and elective surgeries in government, private and even in some corporate hospitals.The protest came following a call by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) for a 24-hour shutdown of non-essential services to protest the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor in a state-run hospital in Kolkata.IMA, which has over 4 lakh members all across the country and is the largest organisation of medical professionals, called for a strike after resident and junior doctors, and even medical students, shunned work for six consecutive days and came out on the street, to protest the brutal incident of August 9.As senior doctors also joined the strike and turned away patients, in many states, medical services were paralysed entirely, affecting primarily poor patients, who trudge long distances to avail of medical services. Many private hospitals hire consultants and faculty to run essential and emergency medical services.The nationwide demand by united modern medicine doctors, including associations of surgeons, dental, diagnostics, radiologists, and even psychologists, for a central protection act to safeguard healthcare workers from violence forced the centre to announce that they would constitute a committee to suggest all such possible measures for ensuring the safety of healthcare professions.“Representatives of all stakeholders, including the state government, will be invited to share their suggestions with the committee,” the Union Health Ministry said in a statement.
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