Kolkata rape-murder: Bengal doctors’ hunger strike enters 12th day | Kolkata

The indefinite hunger strike by junior doctors in Kolkata over the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital entered the 12th day on Wednesday. Six junior doctors have been hospitalised over the past one week, while eight medics are continuing their fast.

“Seven junior doctors in Kolkata and two in north Bengal started the hunger strike on October 5. Since then, six doctors have been hospitalised. As soon as one fell ill, others joined the protest to replace him. At present eight doctors are on strike in Kolkata and north Bengal,” said a junior doctor.

Meanwhile, the state health department has rolled out a centralised referral system on a pilot basis in some hospitals to streamline cases of patients being referred to various medical colleges and hospitals from rural health centres.

The alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9 triggered a Nation-wide uproar and junior doctors in West Bengal started a cease work which continued for 41 days. The protesting medics later launched an indefinite hunger strike with a set of 10 demands.

The list includes justice for the victim, removal of state health secretary, a centralised referral system, digital bed vacancy monitors in all hospitals, task forces with elected representation of junior doctors in every medical college, deployment of police in hospitals, filling up of vacancies in hospitals, holding election of student councils, college-level enquiry committees to probe into allegations of threat culture and probe into the alleged corruption in the state medical council among others.

On October 14, talks between the West Bengal government and senior doctors representing 10 organisations failed to end the impasse in the state’s healthcare system.

Describing the two-and-a-half hour meeting with the state’s senior doctors as “some progress,” chief secretary Manoj Pant had said: “Of the 10 demands junior doctors raised, the state is implementing seven. We urge them to end the hunger strike and return to work.”

Earlier this month, the state government had announced that it would launch a central referral system, a centrally monitored real time bed availability information system and panic call button alarm system in State-run hospitals from November 1.

But even as the doctors’ protests continued and the state claimed that work to strengthen hospital-security and infrastructure were in progress, incidents of assaults on medics continued.

On duty doctors and staff of a rural hospital in Malda district were heckled by the family members and relatives of a child whom the doctors had referred to Malda Medical College and Hospital.

“A child was brought to the rural hospital with high fever, rashes and ulcer in mouth. We had referred him to the sadar hospital. The family members heckled and abused us for that,” Dr Arindam Chaki, a doctor at the Moulpur Rural Hospital, told media persons.