On 30 September, the Supreme Court during hearing had put on record that “… all doctors have resumed duties and shall perform essential services including IPD and OPD”.
But couple of days later the agitating junior doctors, demanding justice for the gruesome rape-murder of the 31-year-old trainee doctor at R G Kar Medical College Hospital and safety and security inside the state-run healthcare facilities, are yet to withdraw their ongoing cease-work programme despite marathon meeting with their seniors in medical fraternity.
The senior doctors and a section of agitating juniors held a meeting at the R G Kar Medical College Hospital on Thursday, have advised to withdraw the cease-work considering plights of patients seeking treatments in government hospitals across the state. The seniors have also urged the agitators to continue their protest programme in different forms but not stopping work in emergency and OPD services.
But a large number of agitators like PGTs, house staff and interns of 26 government medical colleges vowed to continue with their cease-work and intensify the protest in the coming days while some others betrayed discomfiture about the toll of a renewed strike on common people rushing to government medical colleges and hospitals for treatment.
No decision in connection with resuming work has yet been taken till tonight.
Prof (Dr) Moitrayee Bandyopadhyay, head of microbiology department at R G Kar Medical College Hospital and Dr Tapas Pramanik, medical officer of the same hospital, have urged the agitating junior doctors to join work.
Dr Pramanik claimed that he had expressed his personal views in the meeting.
On Wednesday, differing voices emerged from a mass rally and demonstration called by junior doctors under the West Bengal Junior Doctors front (WBJDF).
“If need be, we will go to Delhi and raise our voice. We have given an ultimatum to the state government. But the pressure must also be kept on the CBI. If we have to lift the cease-work, it will only be because of the common people,” Debashis Halder, senior resident at Medical College Hospital and one of the faces of the protest, had said from a dais on Rani Rashmoni Avenue on Wednesday, on the day of Mahalaya.
Junior doctors across all government medical colleges and hospitals in the state went on a complete cease-work from Tuesday morning, nine days after they had resumed work in essential emergency services after a 42-day strike since 9 August.
On the other hand, Dr Ashish Pandey, a Trinamul Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) member in R G Kar Medical College Hospital and close associate of Sandip Ghosh, former principal of the college, was arrested this evening by the CBI probing the incident because of his alleged links in the financial corruption.