KOLKATA: At least 15 senior doctors from various state-run hospitals tendered their resignation on Wednesday in solidarity with their juniors’ movement, seeking justice for the rape-murder victim of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Around 50 senior doctors, including department heads, had quit on Tuesday. Senior doctors on Wednesday said that their colleagues in other prominent hospitals might follow suit.
Meanwhile, junior doctors on Wednesday held protest rallies in different parts of Kolkata and also visited Durga Puja pandals demanding justice for RG Kar rape-murder victim.
They said they would continue their protest during the pujas and raise their voice against injustice done by the police in the RG Kar case. They had a heated altercation with Kolkata Police near Esplanade.
Police “picked up” around nine junior doctors from a popular Durga Puja marquee. The junior doctors also gheraoed the CBI headquarters in Salt Lake, stating that they were not happy with the chargesheet submitted by the probe agency. They said that the rape-murder of the 31-year-old trainee doctor at RG Kar on August 9 can’t be done only one person. The CBI chargesheet named civic volunteer Sanjoy Roy as the main accused in the case.
The junior doctors emphasised that securing justice for their deceased colleague is their main aim. Their other demands include immediate removal of health secretary NS Nigam, fixing accountability for administrative failures and steps to combat corruption in the health department.
They have also demanded establishing a centralised referral system for hospitals, implementing a bed vacancy monitoring system, ensuring proper facilities at workplaces, and increasing police protection in hospitals.
The junior doctors continued their ‘fast-unto-death’ for the fifth consecutive day. Doctors Snigdha Hazra, Tanaya Panja, and Anustup Mukhopadhyay from Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, Arnab Mukhopadhyay from SSKM, Pulastha Acharya from NRS Medical College and Hospital, and Sayantani Ghosh Hazra from KPC Medical College have been staging a ‘fast-unto-death’ since Saturday evening.
On Sunday, they were joined by Aniket Mahato from RG Kar Medical College. Two other junior doctors of Coochbehar Medical College are also continuing their hunger strike for the third day consecutive day in support of their colleagues here.
Dr Punyabrata Gun, one of the joint convenors of the West Bengal Joint Platform of Doctors, said that they would continue supporting the junior medics.
State government calls agitating junior docs for meeting
The West Bengal government has invited agitating junior doctors for a meeting on Wednesday evening to resolve the RG Kar impasse, an official said. The meeting has been scheduled for 7.45 pm at the the state health department headquarters in Salt Lake. “You may bring a delegation of 8-10 members,” Chief Secretary Manoj Pant said in an email to medics. Debasish Halder, a member of the Junior Doctors’ Forum, said they would attend the meeting.
