Peeved by 15-day long agitation by R G Kar Medical College Hospital students, the state health department may take strong action against them if they fail to resume work and cease protesting soon.

State health secretary NS Nigam today held a meeting with the five-member committee headed by Dr Sudipta Roy, Trinamul Congress MLA and chairman of the Rogi Kalyan Samiti (RKS) of the hospital, at Swasthya Bhaban to assess the situation.

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The agitating would-be doctors are protesting against the college authorities’ reluctance to form two separate councils for students and hostels respectively through relay hunger strikes in front of the principal, Dr Sandip Ghosh’s office, demanding his resignation.

The demonstrations have hit the healthcare services in various departments-emergency, trauma care, maternity, neurology-because of the relay hunger strike by medical students and a section of postgraduate trainee doctors
(PGT) in the hospital.

Several patients have been denied admissions due to the non-availability of junior doctors. “My patient who suffered a cerebral attack around 12 days ago is not getting proper medical attention because there are no doctors in neurology,” alleged a relative of the patient.

“We have decided to continue the relay hunger strike programme till the hospital authorities accept our demands. We are demanding infrastructural developments related to our several academic issues, the formation of a transparent students’ council and neutral management for the hostel council since August.

“But the principal is mysteriously silent on these issues,” one of the agitating students said. “We have heard that the health department has held a meeting with the members of the five-member committee. But we are still in the dark about the result of the meeting,” he said.

“We have briefed everything about the development in connection with the strike to the Swasthya Bhaban seeking its advice. The situation is virtually getting out of control. Now, the health department headquarters will guide
us on what to do. We have not yet received any feedback from Swasthya Bhaban so far,” a member of the committee said.

It is learnt that the Swasthya Bhavan has directed the hospital authorities to prepare a list of agitating PGTs against whom they might take legal action. The health department may also withhold the medical registrations of medical students especially interns if they fail to join work soon.