WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Expressing solidarity with the protesting doctors over the Kolkata rape and murder case, prominent medical alumni associations in the US and Canada have sought setting up of a commission for review of existing safety protocols in health care system in India.

Urging expeditious measures for safety of health care workers, heads of various alumni associations have demanded that the safety review commission should have representation from the public and health care professionals.

A letter in this regard has been signed by various associations and sent to President Droupadi Murmu. Also, they have appealed for strong and timely measures to check violence against health care professionals.

“We are deeply concerned by the recent surge in violence and harassment against doctors in India, especially against our female colleagues. We, representing various medical and alumni associations across the US and Canada, write to you with deep concern and anguish regarding the recent deplorable crime in Kolkata where a doctor was brutally raped and murdered. This tragic incident has not only shaken the medical community, but also highlighted the urgent need for comprehensive reforms to ensure the safety and security of doctors, particularly women doctors, who are dedicated to serving the nation,” the letter said.

The doctors lamented that the increasing incidents of violence against medical professionals, including sexual violence, had created an environment of fear and insecurity among medical professionals. “This is not just an issue of personal safety but a significant impediment to the effective functioning of the health care system,” they said.
Apart from suggesting setting up of a commission to inspect the existing safety protocols in health care systems and medical colleges, the doctors demanded expeditious measures to ensure safety of health care workers such that severe penalties be levied against those who commit crimes against them.
“⁠The rights of health care workers to practice without fear in a secure environment must be protected with appropriate legislation at the earliest,” the letter stated.

Apart from the President, the letter has also been addressed to the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the Chief Justice of India, the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), the Health Minister, the National Medical Commission and the Indian Medical Association.

The signatories include Dr Satheesh Kathula, president, American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI); Dr Hema Kapoor, president, Lady Hardinge Medical College Alumni Association of North America (LHMC); Dr Tarun Ohri, president, AIIMSONIANS of America (All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi); Dr Vittal Setru, president, Connecticut Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (CAPI); Dr Ravish Kothari,  president, South Carolina Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (SCAPI); Dr Sangita Kapur, president, Association of Indian Physicians, Cincinnati Chapter; Dr Manoj Shah, president, Inland Southern California Organization of Physicians of Indian Origin (ISCOPI); Dr Anand Kanjolia, president, Rajasthan Medical Alumni Association (RAJMAAI); Dr Mythili Bharadwaj, President, Kilpauk Medical College Alumni Association of North America (KANA), Dr Jaya Daptardar President, Global Organization for People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), Dr Tarak Vasavada President, IndoAmericans Psychiatric Association (IAPA), Dr Bhuvana Ramkumar (Board of Director and Past President), Dr Ravi Yellam Raju (Treasurer), Asian American Physician Association, Buffalo, New York, Dr Sanjay Bindra President, GOSUMEC Foundation USA, Dr Shekhar Annabhotla President and Founder, Ayurvedic Association of Practitioners of North America (AAPNA USA) Dr Umesh Choudhary, President, University College of Medical Sciences Alumni in North America, Dr Shashwathi Kale President, American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, Bay Area, California Dr Sujeeth R Punnam President, Kakatiya Medical Alumni of the US, Dr Nandita Gupta President, Maulana Azad Medical College Alumni Association of North America (MAMCOAANA)  Dr Aruna Dasgupta, Representative of Nil Ratan Sirkar Medical College and Hospital in the US, Dr Dhrubajyoti Bandyopadhyay, Representative of Burdwan Medical College in the US, Dr Adrija Hajra and Dr Dhrubajyoti Bandyopadhyay, Representative of RG Kar Medical College in the US, Dr Adrija Hajra, Representative of Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (IPGMER)- SSKM Hospital, Kolkata, Dr Samhati Mondal and Dr Akanksha Srivastava, Representatives of Medical College, Kolkata in the US, Dr Tushar Mishra, Representative of Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner in the US, Dr Aditya Sharma, Representative of Government Medical College, Kota in the US, Dr Vijendra Singh, Representative of Sampurnanand Medical College, Jodhpur in the US, Dr Gangajal Kasaniya, Representative of Sawai Man Singh Medical College, Jaipur in the US, Dr Gaurav Mudgal, Representative of Maharani Lakshmi Bai Medical College, Jhansi in the US, Dr Nikhil Vojjala, Representative of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh in the US