The agitating junior doctors in West Bengal on Friday took out a march to the CBI office in Salt Lake seeking justice for the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last month.
#WATCH | RG Kar Rape and Murder Case | West Bengal Junior Doctors Front holds protest march from Swasthya Bhawan in Kolkata's Salt lake area to CGO complex demanding the CBI to fast-track the investigation.
— ANI (@ANI) September 20, 2024
Junior doctors called off their strike and will return to work on… pic.twitter.com/W4uOsDAbl1
Ending over 40 days of 'cease work', the junior doctors on Thursday announced that they would 'partially' return to their duties from Saturday onwards.
Demanding a quick-wrap of investigations, the junior doctors holding a 10-day sit-in protest outside the state health department headquarters, organised a rally.
The agitating doctors also announced that they would be setting up Abhaya medical camps in memory of the trainee doctor murdered at RG Kar hospital.
The existing flood conditions in West Bengal and the state government agreeing to certain demands of the protesting doctors made them 'partially' resume work.
However, the protesting doctors said they would not work in the Outpatient Department (OPD) but would resume the emergency services.
"We will wait for a week for the West Bengal government to implement all its promises and if fulfilled, we will resume 'cease work'," said a doctor.
ALSO READ | RG Kar impasse: Agitating junior doctors hold talks with Bengal govt officials
If the assurances and promises are not fulfilled, we will again start out protest, another doctor added.
After the crucial meeting between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the agitating doctors, Kolkata Police Chief Vineet Goyal was transferred and Manoj Kumar Verma was appointed in the place. The state government also removed the directors of medical education and health services as demanded by the agitating doctors.
West Bengal Medical Council cancelled the registration of RG Kar Medical College's former principal Sandip Ghosh.
The doctors' announcement to partially resume work came after Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, following a meeting between the protesting doctors and the state task force, issued a list of directives on the “safety, security and conducive environment for healthcare professionals”.
The state government assured that the order will be implemented immediately.
Key takaways from the meeting include:
*Ensuring adequate availability of on-duty rooms, washrooms, CCTVs and drinking water facilities in the healthcare facilities.
*Security audits of all medical colleges and hospitals to be conducted by Former DGP Surajit Kar Purkayastha.
*Fully functionalise all hospital committees, including the Internal Complaints Committees
*Set up a panic call button alarm system.
* Deployment of police/security personnel along with female police/security personnel at every healthcare facility
