PANJIM: To express their solidarity with their national counterparts, resident doctors of Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Bambolim, on Friday staged a protest in response to the murder of a postgraduate trainee physician in Kolkata.
Speaking to reporters, the protesting doctors said, “The junior and senior resident doctors are protesting in solidarity against the heinous and atrocious rape and murder case which occurred at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata so that the victim gets immediate justice.”
“This protest aligns with the nationwide strike called by the IMA to condemn the heinous incident and are demanding speedy justice. The government should look into the issue. We are looking forward to getting some sorts of central law which protects doctors and all the healthcare workers across the country,” they said.
“We stand with the nation and with all the doctors who support this cause to provide speedy justice to the victim. We demand that a law be enacted which protects doctors all over India,” they said.
“We have suspended all form of routine non-essential services like OPDs. However, emergency services will be attended with full strength and no patient will be neglected,” the doctors said.
“In solidarity with our colleagues, we support the pan India protest in halting of elective services which include OPDs, elective OTs, ward duties, laboratory services and academic activities starting from August 16 at 1 pm. All emergency services will be continued as usual, they said.
Speaking to O Heraldo, a protesting doctor said, “Undergraduates and interns have joined the protest. There are also students who have passed out from the college and it is a unified approach. However, we will not let emergency services be affected due to the protest.”
Emergency work will not be affected due to strike: Dean
PANJIM: Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) Dean Dr Shivanand Bandekar on Friday said that though resident doctors have given notice of a strike in line with a call given by their counterparts in Kolkata to protest against rape and murder of a doctor, it will be ensured that emergency work is not stopped at the hospital.
Speaking to reporters, he said, “We understand the sentiments of GARD (Goa Association of Resident Doctors) members and had a meeting of the Head of the Departments (HoDs) to see how we can function in this situation. All the HoDs (Head of the Departments) have been briefed and they are ready to take care of the emergency work. Emergency work will not stop.”
Dr Bandekar said security measures at GMCH have already been taken and all the CCTV cameras are functioning.
“There are more than 300 cameras and we are also training our security guards with the help of the police force to see that they are fully professional. As of now, we have found that some of them are not fully professional. The campus has got a lot of security measures in place. We will look into the demands of the resident doctors and will do it. We have already had an emergency meeting under the chairmanship of GMC Medical Superintendent Rajesh Patil. This is the first time that the doctors have made a demand of security at GMC” he said.