Healthcare services remain disrupted as Delhi doctors continue their strike

"Does this mean we don't even have the freedom to exercise our right to speech and protest as permitted by the Constitution?" he asked

If the authorities had issued as many circulars to protect doctors' rights and security, such an incident might never have happened, Chauhan added.

The strike has affected academic activities, outpatient departments (OPDs), ward services, and elective surgeries at public as well as private health facilities.

Essential emergency services, including Intensive Care Units (ICUs), emergency procedures, and emergency surgeries, continue to operate.

A group of distinguished Padma Awardee doctors has urgently appealed to the President of India for immediate intervention following a Kolkata incident.

In a letter expressing deep concern and anguish, the doctors condemned the brutal events that have shaken the medical community and the nation at large.

The doctors highlighted the rise in violence against healthcare professionals, particularly against women and girls said "Such acts of brutality shake the very foundations of service by medical professionals," the letter read.

In their appeal, the Padma Awardee doctors have urged law enforcement agencies, policymakers, and society at large to take decisive steps to ensure the safety and dignity of healthcare professionals across the nation.

On Aug 17, the Union health ministry in a statement assured that it would form a panel for suggesting measures to boost the safety of healthcare personnel.

It had said Representatives of all stakeholders, including the state governments, will be invited to share their suggestions with the committee as it urged the doctors to resume their duties in the larger public interest and in view of the rising number of dengue and malaria cases.

A resident doctor from Safdarjung Hospital said a concrete response from the government regarding bringing the central law would have offered some relief. "However, after seven days, we are still waiting. As stated earlier, the strike will continue indefinitely until our demands are met," the doctor said.

(PTI)