Nationwide Strike of Hospitals in India Following the Rape and Murder of a Female Doctor

Following the rape and murder of a female doctor at a hospital in Kolkata, doctors across India have initiated a 24-hour general strike. According to Reuters, hospitals and healthcare facilities in India, except for emergency centers, were closed on Saturday, August 18, and all doctors involved in non-emergency services have ceased work. The report adds that it is expected that one million doctors across Indian hospitals will join these strikes, paralyzing the country's healthcare system for a day. A 31-year-old intern was sexually assaulted and murdered last week at the Medical College of Kolkata. This incident has sparked an angry reaction from the medical community in India. A similar incident occurred to a 23-year-old student in New Delhi in 2012, which led to nationwide protests. In the incident in December 2012, six individuals were arrested in connection with the assault on the physiotherapy student, who was beaten and raped on a bus before being thrown out. Reuters states that there is a heavy police presence outside the 'RG Kar' Medical College in Kolkata, where the crime against the intern took place, and the hospital was quiet on Saturday. Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, the region where Kolkata is located, has supported the doctors' strike and called for an immediate investigation to punish the perpetrators of the assault and murder of the doctor in the harshest possible manner. The report adds that most healthcare and diagnostic centers in Kolkata were also closed on Saturday. Sandip Saha, a pediatrician, told Reuters that he would not accept any patients except for emergencies. The report describes the extent of the doctors' strike in India as 'unprecedented.'