NEW DELHI — India’s medical workers began a countrywide strike Saturday to protest the rape and killing of a trainee doctor at a state-run hospital in the eastern West Bengal state.

Saturday’s strike was called by the country’s largest group of doctors, the Indian Medical Association, saying all non-essential services at hospitals would be shut down across the country for 24 hours.

The suspension of work has affected thousands of patients across India. The protests — mostly led by women — have intensified in recent days, demanding a safer working environment.