Union Home Minister Amit Shah today urged the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to withdraw a symbolic protest by doctors against attacks on health workers who are in the frontline of the country’s coronavirus battle.
Calling for a nation-wide ”White Alert”, the doctors’ body had asked doctors and hospitals across the country to light candles today as a protest against such attacks. “Light a candle with white coat. White Alert is only a warning,” the IMA said in a letter addressed to its doctors and hospitals.
Interacting with doctors and the medical association through video-conferencing, along with Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Amit Shah assured them that the government stands firmly behind the doctors for their safety and that it will do everything possible to protect them, sources in the Union Home Ministry said.
“Safety and dignity of our doctors at their work place is non-negotiable. It is our collective responsibility to ensure conducive atmosphere for them at all times. I have assured doctors that Modi govt is committed to their cause and appealed to reconsider their proposed protest,” Amit Shah tweeted after the meeting.
