Bhubaneswar, Aug 17: Doctors in Odisha on Saturday protested against the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, demanding justice for the victim.

About 6,000 members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) joined the protest across the state, leading to the closure of outpatient departments (OPD), elective surgeries and laboratory services in both government and private hospitals.

Healthcare services were affected across Odisha due to the nationwide doctors strike called by the IMA. The protest will continue till 6 AM on Sunday.

Besides seeking justice for their colleague, the agitating doctors were demanding central legislation that ensured the safety and security of healthcare workers and pledged to continue their stir till it was met.

"All essential services will be maintained. Casualties will be manned. Routine OPDs will not function and elective surgeries will not be conducted. The withdrawal is across all the sectors wherever modern medicine doctors are providing service. IMA requires the sympathy of the nation with the just cause of its doctors," read an IMA press release.

Odisha's Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling said the government was in touch with different doctors' associations and requested the agitators to return to work so that healthcare services could be provided to the needy people.

In a statement, the Odisha Medical College Teachers' Association (OMTA) condemned the incident at the RG Kar MCH, and extended support to the stir.

"We pray for the tortured soul to rest in peace, convey our deep condolence for the family and demand safety & security for doctors & medical professionals during the duty hours at the workplace," it said.

The impact of the agitation could be seen at the state-run SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur, and VIMSAR-Burla, among others.

Also Read: Dharmendra Pradhan Slams Mamata Didi Over Kolkata Doctor Rape-Murder Case

On the night of August 8, the junior doctor was raped and murdered inside the seminar hall of the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The victim had gone to the hall to rest during her graveyard shift.

When a demonstration was underway against the gruesome incident in the early hours of August 15, a mob ransacked parts of the hospital.

The incident at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital has sparked protests and strikes by doctors across the country. 

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