RG Kar: Junior doctors continue hunger strike after medics-govt talks yield no result

The junior doctors on Wednesday met West Bengal government's Chief Secretary Manoj Pant with their demands including resignation of Health Secretary NS Nigam, elimination of threat culture, installation of CCTV cameras in hospitals, providing of safety and security.

After the meeting, the junior doctors said, "We got nothing concrete from the meeting. We have been asked to wait for the pujo to be over. The government will think over the demands on the third week of October when the festival will be over."

The protests escalated largely on Tuesday after about 50 senior doctors at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital submitted a symbolic mass resignation in solidarity with their juniors.

As the mass resignation is symbolic, the senior doctors haven't stopped attending patients as of now.

Nabanna, the state secretariat, has reportedly claimed it didn't receive any resignation letter from the senior doctors.

The junior doctors launched their hunger strike on Saturday night after the state government failed to meet their 24-hour deadline for addressing their demands, which expired at 8:30 pm that evening.

Their agitation began earlier on Friday with a sit-in demonstration following an alleged assault by Kolkata Police personnel.

To ensure transparency, the protesting medics have installed CCTV cameras at the site where the hunger strike is taking place.

The doctors leading the fast include Snigdha Hazra, Tanaya Panja, Anustup Mukhopadhyay, Arnab Mukhopadhyay, Pulastha Acharya, and Sayantani Ghosh Hazra.

Public support has grown, with large crowds and a few celebrities joining the protest since Saturday night.

Despite calling off their "total cease work" strike, which had severely impacted healthcare services at state-run medical colleges and hospitals, the junior doctors remain firm in their demands.

The protesters highlighted that securing justice for their colleague, who was brutally raped and murdered within the RG Kar premises while on duty, remains their primary goal, the eport said.

They also listed nine other demands, including the removal of Health Secretary NS Nigam, accountability for alleged administrative failures, and systemic reforms.

Their demands include a centralised referral system for hospitals, improved monitoring of bed vacancies, and task forces to ensure provisions for essential facilities like CCTV, on-call rooms, and washrooms, according to the report.

The doctors are also calling for increased police protection in hospitals, recruitment of permanent women police personnel, and the swift filling of vacancies for healthcare workers.

The junior doctors' initial protest in the form of ceasework began after the rape and murder at Kar Medical College and Hospital on the intervening night of August 8 and 9.

After a 42-day strike, they ended their ceasework on September 21, following assurances from the state government to address their concerns.

However, with the government’s lack of follow-through, the doctors had resumed their agitation. Last week, the doctors returned to work but launched 'fast unto death' protest over the incident.