Junior doctors in West Bengal have decided to resume their strike after Monday's Supreme Court hearing on the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital rape and murder case, as well as the alleged financial irregularities at the institution. This decision came after a prolonged general body meeting that lasted until early Tuesday morning.
During a press conference on Tuesday, the doctors questioned the slow pace of the CBI investigation and also expressed disappointment over the apex court’s hearings and the “protracted judicial process”.
“We have seen many times before that the CBI has been unable to reach any conclusions, allowing the real culprits of such incidents to go free due to delays in filing charges,” the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front said in a press statement.
“The Supreme Court, which had taken the initiative to expedite the trial of this heinous incident, has instead only postponed hearings and reduced the actual length of proceedings.”
The doctors further claimed that they had returned to work following written directives from the state regarding the implementation of adequate safety and security measures, but no action has been taken so far. “Ten days have passed since then, and we see no implementation of the government’s written directives anywhere.”
The junior doctors, on Tuesday, argued that it has been 52 days since the heinous incident of August 9, but security improvements remain minimal. “The CCTV cameras, which the state government promotes as the main indicator of safety, have only been installed in a fraction of the necessary locations in colleges over these 50 days,” WBJDF said.
Appearing before a three-judge panel of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, the West Bengal government on Monday sought an extension to improve hospital safety and security. This includes the installation of CCTV cameras and the construction and renovation of toilets. The state aims to complete these works by October 15.
The protesting junior doctors, who initially had a five-point demand in the aftermath of the rape and murder incident at R.G. Kar, have now presented a set of 10 demands.
Some of their new demands include the implementation of a central referral system in all government hospitals, the establishment of a monitoring system for vacant hospital beds, student elections in every medical college, filling vacant hospital positions, and conducting an urgent investigation into corruption and embezzlement allegations in the West Bengal Medical Council and the West Bengal Health Recruitment Board.
The decision to return to “total cease work” comes after they had warned about the same following an alleged attack on doctors and nurses at Kolkata College of Medicine & Sagore Dutta Hospital last week.
Stating that they don’t see any goodwill from the West Bengal government, the junior doctors said, “We want to remind the government that we are not protesting merely for paper promises; we are protesting for a genuine, people- oriented change in the state’s healthcare system, so that patients receive proper services and doctors and healthcare workers are ensured a safe, fear-free workplace.”
