Hubballi: All OPDs to Close for 24 Hours—Prepare for Major Service Shutdown!

Hubballi, EXPRESS News Service: All private hospital outpatient departments (OPDs) will be closed for 24 hours starting at 6 a.m. on August 17, in protest against the alleged rape and murder of a trainee female doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, as well as the subsequent vandalism at the facility.

In Hubballi, medical services are also expected to be disrupted. Dr. Anand Varma, Secretary of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Hubballi, informed EXPRESS News that while essential services and casualty wards will remain operational, OPDs will be non-functional and elective surgeries will not be performed. The strike will affect all sectors where modern medicine practitioners provide services, according to Dr. Varma.

Sources said that OPD services will remain unaffected in KIMS Hubballi.

Following the brutal incident at R.G. Kar Medical College, and the violence that erupted during a protest on the eve of Independence Day, the IMA has called for a nationwide suspension of non-emergency medical services from 6 a.m. on Saturday, August 17, 2024, to 6 a.m. on Sunday, August 18, 2024.

“Doctors, particularly women, face heightened risks of violence due to the nature of their profession. It is imperative that authorities ensure the safety of medical personnel within hospitals and campuses. The indifference and insensitivity of the relevant authorities towards the needs of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers contribute to such physical assaults and crimes,” the IMA stated.

The decision to withdraw non-emergency services nationwide was made following consultations with state branches of the IMA. The association condemned the vandalism at the Kolkata hospital, where doctors have been protesting since August 9, in response to the alleged crime.

Earlier, the IMA criticized the authorities for their negligence, which they believe allowed the heinous crime to occur and later led to a breakdown of law and order during an ongoing CBI investigation. “This mindless violence reflects anarchy and the failure to maintain order, potentially jeopardizing critical evidence,” the IMA said.

According to Kolkata Police, around 40 individuals posing as protestors entered the hospital premises, causing extensive damage, including vandalizing the Emergency Ward, nursing station, medicine store, and a section of the OPD. Several CCTV cameras were also destroyed. The police had to resort to tear gas to disperse the crowd, as the miscreants overturned a police vehicle and damaged several two-wheelers, resulting in injuries to some police personnel.

The investigation into the trainee doctor’s death has been transferred to the CBI by order of the Calcutta High Court.