In the aftermath of a horrific crime that led to the death of a medical trainee, junior doctors across India have been steadfast in their protests. They are refusing to return to work until their demands for a safer working environment and expeditious inquiry into criminal acts are addressed.
The nationwide action was triggered by the rape and murder of a 31-year-old junior doctor, perpetrated inside a Kolkata hospital where she was under training. The incident, which occurred on August 9, has affected regular hospital services and led doctors to see only emergency cases.
The alleged culprit, a police volunteer, is presently in custody facing charges. However, women’s rights activists argue that this heinous crime once again underscores the ongoing problem of sexual violence against Indian women, despite reforms introduced following the brutal 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student in New Delhi.
Despite legal attempts to instigate harsher sentences following the 2012 incident, campaigners are concerned that these measures have done little to deter violence against women in India.
The government, keen to normalise hospital operations, is setting up a committee to propose enhanced protection measures for healthcare staff. Nonetheless, representatives of the protesting junior doctors, such as Dr Aniket Mahata from the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, remain committed to their cause until their demands are met.
Demonstrations in support of the doctors’ cause have spread beyond healthcare professionals. On a recent Sunday evening, thousands of backers from West Bengal’s two major football clubs took to the streets of Kolkata chanting demands for justice. Similar statements have been made by junior doctor groups in the capital, New Delhi, neighbouring Odisha, and the western state of Gujarat.
Gita Gopinath, the International Monetary Fund’s deputy managing director, stressed the necessity of workplace safety to increase the female labour force participation rate in India, which stood at 37% in the 2022-23 fiscal year.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian Medical Association demanded that, given 60% of India’s doctors are female, airport-like security protocols are put in place to ensure the safety of hospital staff.
