Satara suicide: Doctors protest outside Mumbai’s Nair Hospital demanding justice, IMA stir across state from Friday

Doctors gathered in front of the hospital, holding banners and placards with messages such as “No Safety, No Service”, “Respect Women, Reject Violence”, and “Here to Serve, Not to Suffer”, highlighting the urgent need for safe working environments for women and protection from workplace harassment. Most participants wore black ribbons as a mark of protest, following IMA’s schedule of agitation, which prescribed symbolic gestures and mass gatherings in medical facilities throughout the state.

Dr Rutuja Shiwale, a resident doctor at Nair Hospital, said, “Doctors dedicate their lives to serving patients, but in recent times, our safety has been gravely compromised. The tragic death has exposed just how vulnerable frontline healthcare workers can be. We demand immediate reforms, safe workplaces, and accountability for violence against doctors.”

In a statement issued, the state unit of IMA said, “The Office Bearers’ Meeting held on 30th October unanimously resolved that IMA Maharashtra State will join hands with MAGMO, MARD, and other medical associations in a statewide agitation demanding justice for (the doctor). We urge all IMA branches and members to participate actively and coordinate with other associations to ensure the safety and dignity of doctors.”

The agitation from November 7-13 will include the shutdown of Outpatient Department (OPD) services in private clinics and hospitals across Maharashtra, as specified in the IMA statement, but government hospital OPDs will not be boycotted.

The ongoing protests and administrative boycotts are aimed at pressuring the authorities, with a complete withdrawal of health services statewide planned from November 14 if there is no response from the government. Doctors and medical associations continue to demand urgent safety reforms and decisive action from officials to ensure the protection of healthcare workers.

Dr Raj Sharma, a junior resident doctor, said, “We are here today not just for ourselves but for every doctor in Maharashtra. If attacks on healthcare workers continue unchecked, patient care will suffer, and many young professionals will be discouraged from joining this noble profession.”

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