Strike continues even as Supreme Court forms task force

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 20

On the ninth day of the nationwide doctors’ strike demanding justice for the rape and murder of a medico at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, the Supreme Court intervened, announcing the formation of a National Task Force (NTF) to address the safety of medical professionals.

During the hearing on Tuesday, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) urged the striking doctors to return to work, emphasising the inconvenience to patients. “Since this court is seized of the matter regarding the safety of all medical professionals, we request doctors protesting all across the country to resume work as it affects patients’ access to health-related services. Doctors and medical professionals are receiving considerations by the highest court of the country,” the CJI stated, as per a tweet by Bar and Bench.

Protesting resident doctors in the national capital, including those at Dr Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), watched the live streaming of the Supreme Court hearing. Many responded positively, with chants of “Supreme Court Zindabad” echoing through the protesting sites.

Following the hearing, a press release from the Resident Doctor Association (RDA) of RML Hospital circulated online, initially announcing the conclusion of their strike. However, this decision was swiftly reversed.

Dr Kumari Archana, a protesting resident doctor at RML, clarified that the strike would continue. “There was some miscommunication, and we apologise for the same. We want to clarify that we stand by our colleagues and other RDAs. We will make our decision only after there is a consensus among all RDAs, and the common decision of all RDAs will be our decision. We stand UNITED,” the RML RDA stated in a revised statement.

The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) expressed confidence in the Supreme Court’s involvement. “We welcome the exhaustive session by the Supreme Court and trust their involvement in the broader interest of our fraternity. We will consult with all our stakeholders before making any decisions,” FORDA stated.

The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), another major doctors’ body, announced plans to hold a meeting soon. “The decision will be made after considering input from every state RDA and will be based on the majority’s decision,” FAIMA said in a statement.