Junior doctors in West Bengal have threatened to go on a statewide strike on October 22 if their demands arising out of the alleged rape and murder of a colleague at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital are not addressed. The agitating doctors, who have been protesting for almost two months, have set a deadline of October 21 for the state government to fulfill their demands.
“We want the chief minister (Mamata Banerjee) to sit for discussion and implement all our demands,” Debashish Halder, one of the agitating junior doctors, told reporters. “Unless this is done, all junior and senior doctors in both government and private health facilities will be forced to go on strike on Tuesday.”
The junior doctor is demanding justice for his deceased colleague, a postgraduate trainee doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, who was allegedly raped and murdered in August. Doctors are also demanding better workplace safety, centralized referral systems and other reforms in healthcare infrastructure. Haldar said, “Our comrades are on a fast unto death. If the Chief Minister does not take action by Monday, we will be forced to go on strike on Tuesday.”
The protestor questioned Mamata Banerjee
Another protester, Dr Sayantani Ghosh Hazra, questioned why Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not come to meet him even though his fast unto death has been going on for 14 days. Dr Hazra, a postgraduate trainee, said, “She is the guardian of the state and we are like her children. Can’t she meet us at least once with our legitimate demands?” Hazra is on fast since October 5.
The demands of the doctors include the immediate removal of West Bengal Health Secretary N S Nigam, increased security measures in hospitals, installation of CCTV cameras and setting up of proper on-call rooms and toilets. Doctors are also pushing for the implementation of bed vacancy monitoring systems to streamline patient care in hospitals. Junior doctors had struck work for 42 days after the August 9 incident, but called off the strike on September 21 after assurances from the state government. However, doctors allege that these promises have not been fulfilled.
