Following the heinous act of rape and murder by a medic, Indian doctors stage a 24-hour nationwide strike.

• Last week, a 31-year-old doctor was brutally raped and murdered at an Indian hospital.
• Protests erupted nationwide, drawing the support of hundreds of thousands, demanding enhanced safety for women following the occurrence of the incident.
• On Saturday, the largest association of modern medicine doctors in the country will stage a 24-hour nationwide strike.

The Indian Medical Association, the largest association of modern medicine doctors in India, has urged for a 24-hour suspension of non-emergency medical services nationwide following the rape and murder of a female trainee doctor at a hospital last week.

On Saturday, the association with approximately 350,000 members announced that the "nationwide withdrawal of services by doctors of modern medicine" would commence at 6 a.m. local time and conclude at 6 a.m. the following day.

""Essential services will be maintained, but routine OPDs and elective surgeries will not be conducted," the group stated."

Thousands of medical professionals and activists have demonstrated in India this week, demanding better protections for health care workers after an incident in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal state.

The police and authorities were accused of mishandling the murder and rape case by the IMA.

Last Friday, a 31-year-old woman who worked at a medical college was discovered dead inside the institution. Reuters reported the tragic incident.

A police volunteer was arrested for raping a woman who was found bleeding from her eyes and mouth, and sustained injuries on her legs, stomach, ankles, right hand and finger, the outlet reported.

Numerous government hospitals worldwide temporarily halted non-urgent care in protest of a recent event.

Thousands of women in West Bengal marched on Thursday to demand justice for the victim, local media reported.

In 2022, India reported more than 31,500 rape cases, although this was a slight decline from the previous year. However, this number is still higher than the range of reported cases from 2010 to 2013, which were around 22,000 to 24,000. Unfortunately, data for the years following 2022 has not been made publicly available.