The Supreme Court said on Monday that it will hear a plea on Tuesday, June 18 seeking safety and security of doctors in government hospitals across the country.

A vacationbench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Surya Kant agreed to list the matter forTuesday after the counsel appearing for the petitioner, advocates Alakh AlokSrivastava, sought urgent hearing.

The plea wasfiled on Friday in the wake of protests by doctors in West Bengal againstassault on their colleagues by the family of a patient who died on Monday lastat Kolkata NRS Medical College.

The petitionfiled by the doctors has also sought directions to Union Ministry's of homeaffairs and health and West Bengal to depute government-appointed securitypersonnel at all state-run hospitals across the country to ensure safety andsecurity of doctors.

Doctors acrossthe country have also staged protest on Monday and suspend OPD services. However,the emergency services will be available during the ongoing protest whichstarted from 6 AM today.

The pleafiled by doctors also said that due to the protests, the healthcare services inthe country have been badly disrupted and many people are dying because ofabsence of doctors.