Doctors and nurses from various government hospitals in the Capital walked to Ramlila Ground to join Anna Hazare's agitation on Friday. Among others, the medical staff of All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Safdarjung Hospital got together for this candle light march to the Ground.
“This walk is an outpouring of our frustration with corruption and unaccountability. Corruption is something we encounter in our daily lives and we have also suffered because of the practice. We are joining the protest today to tell the law makers and the government that the medical staff is also extending its support to the drive against corruption and that it is time that we took concrete steps to root out corruption. Our joining the agitation is not against any individual or a political party, it is against corruption,'' said AIIMS Resident Doctors' Association president Dr. Debjyoti Karmakar. About 400 doctors, staff nurses and medical students joined the march from AIIMS to Ramlila Ground on Friday evening.
“The government cannot and should not ignore the popular sentiments of the people and needs to understand that the spontaneous support the movement has witnessed is because people identify with the cause,'' added Dr. Karmakar.
A resident doctor from Safdarjung Hospital said: “The agitation has the support of the urban middle class which is otherwise so caught up in the struggle of daily living that it usually keeps away from such agitations or protests. Today as we march towards Ramlila Ground with candles shouting slogans, we feel that we have tolerated the “chalta hai'' attitude towards everything for very long. We have taken time off from our study and work to join something that we believe in. It is important that the political class take notice of what the people want.''
Meanwhile, over 10,000 city doctors, members of the Delhi Medical Association (DMA), wore black badges on Friday in a show of support for the movement initiated by Anna Hazare.
DMA president Dr. Vinod Khetarpal said: ``The badges are a show of our concern over rising corruption in society. All the doctors have also taken a vow that they will not give or accept bribe for any work done from any sector.''
