In an emotional letter titled "SHE: We Failed Her in Life", Indian Medical Association (IMA) chief Dr R V Asokan expressed the anguish and revulsion being felt by the nation over the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a state-run hospital in Kolkata.
The letter, penned by Asokan, was shared on X by the apex doctors' body on Sunday.
"We as a nation did not let her down in death. It is difficult to capture the mood of the nation. Anger, Revulsion, Frustration, Helplessness," the letter read.
The letter comes amid protests across the countries by medics, from both public and private health facilities, triggered by the incident at the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital earlier this month.
"For once India understood her doctors correctly," Asokan said.
"SHE was on 36 hours duty. Had dinner at 2 am before retiring to the makeshift beds in the seminar room adjacent to the ward. Only daughter of a lower middle-class parents. The orphaned doctor nameplate at the entry remaining the vestige of the family pride... Inconsolable. Lost the meaning and purpose of life. Innocent and naive with the trust like children," he said.
"The streets were empty. Fear hung in the air. Few conscientious youth protested in a corner...SHE had lit a million candles. Thousands of war drums reverberated. Every Indian family lost their daughter," the IMA chief said.
He mentioned in his letter how resident doctors were the first to launch a protest after the incident. Their "vigil and firepower" was seen as the "only hope of the nation", Asokan said.
"IMA. Born in the fire of freedom struggle. The fire still burns. Conscience keeper to the profession. Rooted in all districts. Rearguards of the Residents. Anchors," he said.
Asokan said, "Doctors are not orphans. Not yet. For once everyone adopted the doctors".
He urged for amendments in laws that fail to protect doctors adequately. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita is "undersize" but the "deep state wouldn't agree", Asokan said.
"We invoke the right to life. Let doctors live. Tryst with destiny had not been redeemed in full measure. It left out the doctors. We live to fight back," Asokan said in his letter.
The IMA on Saturday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "benign" intervention in the realising their demands that includes a central law to check violence against healthcare personnel and declaring hospitals safe zones with mandatory security entitlements.
The association had also declared a nationwide withdrawal of non-emergency medical services from 6 am on August 17 to 6 am on August 18.
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