Doctors In India Demand Stronger Laws To Protect Healthcare Workers

Students of the Swaminarayan Gurukul Vishwavidya Pratishthanam (SGVP) perform rituals holding sacred threads, called Janoi, they wear across their bodies, during a change-over ceremony that coincides

Hundreds of doctors in India gathered near the health ministry in New Delhi to protest and demand stringent laws to protect healthcare workers from violence. The protest comes in the wake of the rape and killing of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at a state-run hospital in Kolkata.

The protesting doctors, holding placards with messages like “Justice delayed is justice denied,” were met by police as they attempted to set up free outpatient services for patients outside the health ministry. This demonstration is part of a series of protests and rallies that have been ongoing for over a week.

Protesters call for non-bailable offenses for attacks on on-duty medics and increased hospital security.

Protests by doctors in India demand laws to protect healthcare workers from violence.

Government promises to address doctors' demands and establish a committee.

Tragic incident at Kolkata hospital reignites conversation on violence against women in India.

Family alleges gang rape in the case, with federal investigators now involved.

Thousands rally in Kolkata demanding justice for the victim.

Doctors and medical professionals across India have been expressing their concerns about the safety and security of healthcare workers in hospitals and medical campuses. They are calling for stronger laws to protect them from violence, including making any attack on on-duty medics a non-bailable offense, increasing security at hospitals, and providing safe spaces for rest.

The government has responded by urging doctors to return to duty and has promised to establish a committee to address their demands.

The tragic incident at Kolkata's R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital has not only sparked outrage within the medical community but has also reignited the conversation about violence against women in India. The family of the victim alleges that it was a gang rape and that more individuals were involved in the crime. A police volunteer at the hospital has been arrested and charged, with federal investigators now handling the case.

Thousands of people, particularly women, have taken to the streets in Kolkata to demand justice for the trainee doctor. This incident has underscored the ongoing issue of violence against women in India, despite the implementation of tougher laws following the 2012 gang-rape and murder of a student in Delhi.

While lawmakers have introduced harsher penalties and fast-track courts for rape cases, sexual violence against women remains a prevalent problem in the country. In 2022, police recorded a 20% increase in reported rape cases compared to the previous year, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.