AGARTALA, June 14 (TIWN): The doctors' strike that started in Kolkata earlier this week has now spread across India with the doctors' association of AIIMS showing full support to their West Bengal colleagues. In the wake of a reported assault on doctors at a hospital in Kolkata, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has directed the members of all its state branches to stage protests and wear black badges on Friday. After entire healthcare system in West Bengal was crippled over the past four days, now doctors' in Delhi, Mumbai and other cities in India especially AIIMS hospitals in the national capital, Raipur, Patna and Punjab are observing protest shutdown. Resident doctors in several government hospitals in Kerala and Hyderabad also staged protests as they started their 'cease work' demonstrations in respective cities. Around 4,500 Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) stopped attending to patients in all the 26 government hospitals in the state simultaneously on Friday.

MARD General Secretary Deepak Mundhe said the doctors will keep off all routine duties between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and the hospital administration has been informed to ensure all other services are not hampered or patients inconvenienced.

Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in a statement said, “An unfortunate incident took place in NRS Hospital 3 days ago. I sent my colleague, Chandrima Bhattacharjee, Minister-of-State, Health and Family Welfare to visit the injured doctor and talk to a section of the junior doctors who are agitating and request them to withdraw the agitation as people are not getting treatment. Cancer patients, kidney patients, accident victims, even children coming from distant places are suffering for not getting treatment. I sent Commissioner of Police, Kolkata to talk to the junior doctors. 5 persons have been arrested and their bail prayers were rejected by Ld Court. Our government has taken full care of the injured doctor. We pray that he recovers quickly. As per information received, he is stable and improving. That day, one person died and complaint of negligence of treatment has been lodged. An enquiry has been started to look into the issues from all sides. We have taken all necessary action whatever required - our Additional Chief Secretary, Health visited the injured doctor and met a section of the agitating junior doctors and appealed to them to resume services. Our government is giving full co-operation and taking all necessary action. But, in spite of that, provocations are coming from other political parties, which no one should fall trapped into”.

In a communique to all its state presidents and secretaries, the IMA has asked them to organize demonstrations in front of the district collectors' offices from 10 am to 12 noon on Friday and hand over a memorandum addressed to the prime minister to the collectors in every district.

The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) has also urged its members to observe a "Black Day" against the brutal attack on Thursday.

"The state branches are expected to release a press statement on Friday expressing solidarity with the resident doctors and condemning the violence. The statement also should emphatically demand a central Act on violence against doctors and hospitals," the communique said.

Simultaneously, all the local branches and individual members of the IMA will send an appeal to the prime minister and the Union home minister, demanding a central Act on violence against doctors and hospitals.

The IMA has also urged its state branches to communicate the information to the government doctors' organisations of the states, request for their support and issue a press statement to this effect.