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Fresh Bengal impasse: Junior doctors resume stir
the doctors, in a statement said that they ‘are disappointed and angered by the protracted judicial process’
Junior doctors in West Bengal on Tuesday resumed their strike across all medical colleges and hospitals 10days after they returned to emergency services, arguing that the state was yet to keep its promise of strengthening security and infrastructure in state-run hospitals.
The decision came after a marathon eight-hour meeting of the doctors, a day after the Supreme Court pulled up the West Bengal government and noted that all work will be finished by October 15.
“We are compelled to return to a full cease-work starting from today. Unless we receive clear action from the government on safety, patient services, and the politics of fear, we will have no choice but to continue our full strike,” said a statement issued by the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front.
State government officials did not respond to requests for comment.
The doctors also criticised the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Supreme Court.
“We realised just how slow the CBI’s investigation is. We have seen many times before that the CBI has been unable to reach any conclusions, allowing the real culprits of such incidents to go free due to delays in filing charges,” the statement said.
“The Supreme Court, which had taken the initiative to expedite the trial of this heinous incident, has instead only postponed hearings and reduced the actual length of proceedings. We are disappointed and angered by this protracted judicial process,” the statement added.
Junior doctors across the state went on strike on August 9 demanding justice for a junior doctor who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata last month. The incident triggered a nationwide uproar.
On September 9,the Supreme Court asked the doctors to return to work by 5pm onSeptember 10. But the agitators defied the deadline, saying their demands hadn’t been met.
Finally, after 41 days, the junior medics partially ended their strike on September 21 and resumed essential services after verbal assurances from the state government and the chief secretary, who issued some directives to ensure safety, security and efficient functioning of the state health system.
After two failed attempts, the doctors met chief minister Mamata Banerjee on September 16, resulting in the removal of the Kolkata Police commissioner and senior health department officials.
But on Tuesday, the doctors said that the government didn’t keep up its end of the bargain.
“From the very first day of our movement, we have demanded the elimination of the politics of fear from every hospital and medical college in the state. Yet, we see no goodwill from the state government on this front. No inquiry committees have been established against the heads of the current threat syndicate in healthcare, and no initiatives have been taken by the government to form elected student councils in colleges,” the doctors stated.
They placed a set of 10 demands before the government – justice for the victim, removal of state health secretary, a centralised referral system, digital bed vacancy monitors in all hospitals, task forces in every medical colleges with elected representation of junior doctors, deployment of police in hospitals, filling up of vacancies in hospitals, hold election of student councils, college-level enquiry committees to probe into allegations of threat culture and probe into the alleged corruption in the state medical council among others.
The decision came just days ahead of Durga Puja celebrations in the state. The doctors called for a massive rally on Wednesday.
The body of a second-year postgraduate student, who was allegedly raped and murdered inside a seminar hall of the hospital, was found on August 9. The crime took place at the third-floor seminar hall of the chest department late at night and police later said that multiple lacerations and wounds were found on her body.
A 31-year-old civic volunteer with the police, Sanjay Roy, was arrested the next day in connection with the case and was sent to 14-day police custody. The investigation was later handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which later arrested Sandip Ghosh on corruption charges.
Since the gruesome crime, protests have swept Kolkata as agitators have alleged a string of missteps by the state administration and actions by Ghosh and the city police to tamper with evidence. The government has denied all allegations.
Talks between Banerjee and the striking medics failed to take offtwice. On September 19, chief secretary Manoj Pant issued a new order with 10 directives, including adequate on-duty rooms, wash rooms, CCTVs in hospitals, security audit in all medical colleges and hospitals by a retired IPS officer, internal complaint committees in hospitals to be made functional, adequate police deployment in health facilities, centralised helpline for safety and security of health care professionals, a panic button alarm system, a centrally monitored real time bed availability information system, centralised referral system, and filling up of vacancies and a grievance redressal system.
But on Monday, the top court had pulled up the state government, saying that not even 50% of the work was done. “No part of the work is above 50%. Work on duty rooms 49%, work on washrooms 40%, lighting arrangement 39% and CCTv installation 26%. Why is the progress so tardy? We have been monitoring this for quite some time,” the top court said. The state government said that there were some logistical delays due to the floods.
The Bharatiya Janata Party backed the doctors.
“The 10 demands outlined by junior doctors are legitimate and Mamata Banerjee must ensure immediate compliance,” Amit Malviya, BJPs head of IT cell, wrote on X.
The Trinamool Congress criticised the decision.
“This is contempt of the Supreme Court. The junior doctors’ counsel assured the apex court that they have joined work. Soon after that, the doctors called for a strike. People are now rejecting this,” said Arup Chakraborty, TMC spokesperson.
