In a dramatic show of solidarity, 50 senior doctors from Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital have resigned in support of junior doctors who have been protesting for the past five days. The junior doctors are on a hunger strike, demanding justice for a fellow trainee doctor who was allegedly raped and murdered, while also calling for reforms to address corruption, campus democracy, and a patient-friendly healthcare system.
The senior doctors’ resignations came as a response to what they described as a lack of action from authorities to resolve the situation and protect the junior doctors. “There has been no response from the appropriate authority to solve and to save our children from impending health disaster,” the senior doctors said in a joint statement. Earlier in the day, 15 senior doctors had already shown their support by joining the hunger strike in a symbolic gesture.
The junior doctors’ protest began on October 1 after an attack on medics by a patient’s family at the College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital. They have since called for increased police protection in hospitals, the recruitment of permanent women police personnel, and the filling of vacant positions for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare staff. The doctors are also advocating for the establishment of a centralised referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges, a bed vacancy monitoring system, and the provision of basic amenities such as CCTV, on-call rooms, and washrooms.
The protest comes after the August 9 murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College, which sparked outrage across the medical community. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the case and has charged Sanjoy Roy, a former contractual staff member with Kolkata Police, with the rape and murder of the doctor.
The strike has disrupted medical services during the Durga Puja festivities in Kolkata, with the spirit of the festival dampened by the ongoing agitation. Despite assurances from West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, who urged the doctors to return to work and claimed that 90 percent of the ongoing projects at medical colleges would be completed by next month, the junior doctors have not backed down.
Pant said the government was making progress on addressing the doctors’ concerns. “I am requesting everyone to come back to work and give services to the people. We are all working towards improving the environment,” he said. “There is no difference of opinion as far as the larger objective is concerned.”
The junior doctors, however, remain steadfast in their demands for a safer and more transparent working environment. They previously called off a 42-day cease work protest on September 21 after receiving assurances from the state government, but resumed the protest after a new incident of violence against medical staff last week.
As the hunger strike continues, the resignation of senior faculty adds another layer of complexity to the crisis, further pressuring authorities to address the issues raised by the protesting doctors.
Sources By Agencies
