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At RG Kar, 48 doctors resign in support of striking juniors
The decision by the doctors to resign en masse was taken at a meeting of the heads of various departments of the state-run institution
At least 48 senior doctors and faculty members of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata submitted a mass resignation letter and those at two other state-run facilities threatened a similar move on Tuesday, in support of the medics who have been observing an indefinite hunger strike since last week, demanding justice for their colleague who was raped and murdered in August.
According to people aware of the developments, the decision by the doctors at the RG Kar hospital to resign en masse was taken at a meeting of the heads of various departments of the state-run institution, even as chief secretary Manoj Pant urged the protesters to remain “active stakeholders” in the healthcare system.
“This (decision to quit) was decided at today’s meeting of the HoDs (heads of departments). All 48 senior doctors of our hospital have signed the resignation letter. This is to express our solidarity towards those young doctors who are fighting for a cause,” a senior doctor said, seeking anonymity.
Another senior doctor, however, said the medics will continue with their duties till their resignations are accepted. “Tendering our resignations does not mean we will stop working from tomorrow. We will continue to work till our resignations are accepted. The intention is to send a message to the state government that they should hold talks with the striking junior doctors. This stalemate cannot continue,” Dr Sumit Hazra, who was among those who resigned, said.
Read more: RG Kar: What helped CBI to charge Sanjay Roy with rape-murder of trainee doctor
On Saturday, seven junior doctors from various medical colleges, including one from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, began an indefinite hunger strike on Saturday night, alleging that their demands pertaining to the security and strengthening of infrastructure across state-run hospitals and medical colleges in Bengal are yet to be met by the Mamata Banerjee-led administration. The demands were raised in the wake of the brutal rape and murder of a doctor at the seminar room of the Kolkata hospital on August 9.
Several senior and junior doctors across state-run hospitals and medical colleges held a 12-hour token hunger strike on Tuesday in support of the seven doctors to mount pressure on the administration.
Senior doctors at two-more state run hospitals – Medical College Kolkata and SSKM Hospital – also threatened to submit their resignations if the demands were not met in 24 hours.
“The demands of the junior doctors are justified. The government should hold talks with them and meet the demands so that the junior doctors can end their hunger strike. We are giving a 24-hour deadline to the government. After that, we will also tender mass resignation,” Dr Soumen Mahapatra, a senior doctor and faculty member at the SSKM Hospital, said.
Doctors also staged a rally from Medical College Kolkata and SSKM Hospital to show solidarity for their colleagues who are observing the indefinite hunger strike.
A state government official, however, said doctors are required to follow a procedure to submit their resignations. “There is a procedure to submit a resignation. It has to be done through a proper channel. Just signing on a piece of paper isn’t enough,” the official said, seeking anonymity.
The junior doctors began their protest following the rape and murder of their colleague on August 9. They concluded their stir after 42 days on September 21, following assurances from the state government to address their demands. The medics, however, renewed their “cease work” on October 1 after an attack on them by a patient’s family at the state-run College of Medicine & Sagore Dutta Hospital in Kamarhati the previous week, and launched the hunger strike on Saturday.
On Monday, the state government said it would launch a central referral system, a centrally-monitored real time bed availability information system and panic call button alarm system at state-run hospitals from November 1.
