The manner in which a postgraduate trainee doctor of R.G.Kar Medical College was raped - murdered is bound to anger the doctors and other medical staff working in hospitals.

IMA' s call to protest against this ghastly unacceptable incident and the highly successful pan India strike needs to be appreciated and lauded. But, what about the problems of the suffering patients, who silently bear the pains of such decisions.

Some people have already started raising fingers as to why another strike was needed when many doctors and hospitals were already on strike ?. Agreed that the entire incident was in bad taste and a blot on the society besides being unacceptable, but to punish the hapless patients, who are already fighting for their lives and other health related problems is incorrect and needs to be given another thought.

The Government feels that by appointing a high level committee to look into the security and related concerns of doctors and immediately compulsorily reporting of any such incident feels satisfied with its decision.

Agreed that the Mamta Government tried to white wash and downgrade the entire incident and were totally irresponsible in the discharge of their duties, but to leave the unsuspecting and helpless patients to die is something that the IMA will need to think about once again. Such incidents are a social evil that all women in the society face today.

The careless and insensitive attitude of the Central Government is also to blame for this sorry state of affairs and needs to be given a serious look. If they could timely enact stringent laws, strengthen the law enforcement agencies and legal system it could bring some drastic change in the mindset of the male dominated society.

In such situations, the IMA will need to be more determined and tactful while negotiating with the government officials and health ministry and present acceptable demands and solutions failing which pressures of all kinds and from all ends will forcibly derail the entire strike with no positive achievements. Then, is striking a panacea only for all our problems needs to be given a serious thought and evaluation. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi -

" The day a WOMAN can walk freely on the roads at night, that day we can say that INDIA has achieved FREEDOM ".