Patna, Aug 13 (IANS): Doctors and medical students of PMCH, AIIMS, and IGIMS in Patna staged a massive protest on Tuesday against the sexual assault and murder of a post-graduate trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

Doctors at the three hospitals initiated the shutdown of out-patient department (OPD) services on Tuesday and refused to return to work, except for emergency services.

The protest comes in response to a nationwide indefinite strike call by the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) over the rape and murder of a young doctor in Kolkata.

The semi-naked body of the 32-year-old woman was found in the seminar hall of the government-run hospital in Kolkata on Thursday night.

The strikes in Patna have resulted in hardship for patients and their families.

Bringing up the issue of the safety of doctors and medical students while at work, Dr Priyanka Narayan, a faculty of PMCH told IANS, "The Chief Minister of the state where this incident occurred is a woman. If safety cannot be ensured in that state, it raises concerns about safety in other states.

“Initially, it was reported that the victim had committed suicide, but this whole incident was incorrect from the start. A female doctor is not safe at her workplace, so we are demanding the establishment of a control room with dedicated phone lines for female medical students, and doctors to call if they feel unsafe."

One medical student protesting in Patna for the safety of women doctors said, "I want to say that if we are not safe in college then how can we expect that we will be safe in the country? When we are saving the lives of others then we should also expect to be safe. There should be CCTV surveillance everywhere. The culprit should be caught and killed in front of everyone so that no one can do such a thing next time."