Patients left stranded in Himachal hospitals as doctors strike over Kolkata rape-murder
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Health services across Himachal Pradesh came to a grinding halt on Saturday as the Himachal Medical Officer Association (HMOA) joined the ongoing strike initiated by resident doctors, leaving thousands of patients without access to medical care.
The strike, which is a response to the horrific rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, has crippled the state’s healthcare system, with only emergency services remaining operational.
Hospitals and medical colleges across the state, including at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla, saw a massive influx of patients on Saturday, many of whom were unaware of the doctors’ strike. Without doctors present in the outpatient departments (OPD), patients were left with no choice but to return home without receiving treatment or seek care at private hospitals.
The scene was chaotic as people, some of whom had travelled long distances, wandered around in search of medical attention.
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The strike, which initially involved resident doctors, has now expanded to include senior doctors, with the HMOA declaring a 24-hour strike in solidarity. This escalation has effectively brought health services to a standstill in medical colleges as well as other hospitals throughout Himachal Pradesh.
The timing of the strike has compounded the crisis, as the closure of services on Saturday means that patients will have to wait until Monday to receive treatment, with Sunday being a non-working day in most hospitals.
An HMOA office-bearer stated that the association decided to join the strike in response to the call from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) and the Federation of All India Medical Association (FOAIA). He emphasised that the strike is a nationwide protest against the brutal incident in Kolkata and the subsequent mishandling of the case by authorities.
Doctors across the state demonstrated in various ways, expressing their anger and grief over the incident. In some districts, doctors staged protests and raised slogans condemning the Kolkata incident, while others performed street dramas to depict the plight and concerns of the medical community. Protest rallies were also organized in several locations.
The strike has severely impacted healthcare services, particularly in major hospitals like IGMC Shimla, which typically sees more than 3,000 patients in its OPD every day. With the strike in full effect, these patients were left stranded, many of them turning to private healthcare facilities as a last resort.
The incident that sparked the strike occurred on August 9 when the half-naked body of a trainee doctor was discovered at a Kolkata medical college. The postmortem revealed signs of severe trauma, confirming that she had been raped and murdered.
The case was handed over to the CBI on August 13, but doctors across the country remain sceptical, alleging that crucial evidence was tampered with, and are demanding swift justice.
