Hospital services in government medical colleges across West Bengal were disrupted on Monday as students, interns, and postgraduate trainee (PGT) trainee doctors threatened to intensify their ongoing cease-work programme in both out patients departments (OPDs) and emergency wards demanding immediate judicial inquiry to probe rape and murder of a woman PGT doctor of chest medicine department at R G Kar Medical College Hospital.
Over the past three days, junior doctors had been attending to emergency duties, but from Monday morning, they have ceased even those responsibilities in most of the teaching hospitals starting from R G Kar Hospital, epicenter of the trouble rocking the nation, Medical College Hospital (MCH), N R S Hospital, SSKM Hospital, Calcutta National Medical College Hospital (CNMCH), College of Medicine and Sagar Dutta State General Hospital in the city and others in districts.
Different doctors’ forums, students’ organisations and civil society brought out protest processions in different parts of the city showing solidarity to the agitating interns, junior dortors and PGTs.
“We want an immediate impartial judicial investigation into the murder of our colleague. Why should we wait till Sunday? We want justice and exemplary punishment to those who are involved in the heinous crime,” the protesting doctors and students at the R G Kar Medical college Hospital said.
“We want capital punishments for culprits and compensations for the family of the murder victim. We demand the government must not give any administrative portfolio to Prof Sandip Ghosh in the health department,” they said, shouting slogans ‘no safety, no duty.”
They would continue their strike until their demands are met.
“We are dissatisfied with the current police investigation and will continue our protest until justice is served and the state ensures foolproof security for all doctors and healthcare workers,” said a protesting junior doctor from R G Kar Medical College and Hospital.
A senior health department official at Swasthya Bhaban said that senior doctors, including medical officers have been asked to attend patients in emergency wards in all government medical colleges till the crisis is over.
“We are making appeal to the agitating junior doctors and PGTs to exempt emergency services from their protest programmes considering the plight of critical patients,” the official said requesting anonymity.
The body of the woman post-graduate trainee was found inside a seminar hall of the hospital on Friday morning. A civic volunteer was arrested on Saturday in connection with the crime.
The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association of India (FORDA) has endorsed the strike and called for a nationwide halt of elective services on Monday, informing the Union health ministry of their decision.
The West Bengal Doctors Forum has also appealed to chief minister Mamata Banerjee for an impartial inquiry committee to investigate the rape and murder of the doctor. Additionally, they have demanded increased security for doctors and health workers across the state and capital punishment for the perpetrator.