IMA said, if ‘white alert’ is not observed nationwide, the doctors will observe a ‘black day’, wearing black badges in protest of the negligence towards the life and dignity of healthcare workers. (Representational)
In compliance with the Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) appeal to register a protest and vigil for the lives of the medical staff lost on the frontline against the COVID-19, IMA Chandigarh also appealed to the local medical staff and hospitals to commemorate a ‘white alert’ in the city on Wednesday at 9 pm, by lighting candles outside hospitals and private residences for the vigil.
The appeal for the protest and vigil was especially triggered by an incident in Chennai, in which a mob hindered the burial of a 55-year-old neurosurgeon who died due to COVID-19. At the cemetery, where the doctor was to be a buried, a mob pelted stones and attacked the ambulance which contained the neuro-surgeon’s body. The doctor’s colleague was later compelled to dig a grave with his own hands to bury him.
“This is the limit. It is so disheartening to see how the country is treating those who are putting their life on the line everyday to serve the nation. There needs to be a special law in place. Such inhumane acts should have repercussions,” says Dr Rajesh Dhir, president of IMA Chandigarh.
IMA said, if ‘white alert’ is not observed nationwide, the doctors will observe a ‘black day’, wearing black badges in protest of the negligence towards the life and dignity of healthcare workers.