Doctors protest (File Photo: PTI)
The young doctors, who were protesting against the rape and murder of their colleague at RG Kar Hospital, met their deaths on Saturday evening, alleging that their demands were not met by the West Bengal government.
With three days to go before the Durga Puja festivities were to begin, the doctors had started a sit-in demonstration at the Dorina Crossing in Dharmatala in the heart of Kolkata on Friday, imposing a 24-hour deadline on the state government to meet their demands.
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“The state government has failed to meet the deadline and hence we are starting fast unto death which will continue until our demands are met. To maintain transparency, we have installed CCTV cameras on the stage where our colleagues are fasting,” said a junior. said doctor.
“We were on duty last night, but we don’t want to eat anything,” he said, adding that six young doctors were currently detained.
The six doctors who were fasting were identified as Snigdha Hazra, Tanaya Panja and Anustup Mukhopadhyay of Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, SSKM’s Arnab Mukhopadhyay, Pulastha Acharya of NRS Medical College and Hospital, and Sayantani Ghosh Hazra of KPC Medical College.
The state would be held responsible if a doctor fell ill while fasting, the junior doctor said.
“We have the support of the people, and that is the reason we are not afraid of any kind of hindrance from the government. We will continue our hunger strike until our demands are met,” he added.
A large number of ordinary people and some celebrities were present at the protest site in the evening.
The trainee doctors had called off their ‘total work stoppage’ on Friday evening, paralyzing healthcare services in state-run medical colleges and hospitals.
Earlier in the day, the medics claimed that police did not allow them to set up the stage.
The Kolkata Police had rejected the junior doctors’ request for permission for the sit-in, stating that the road witnesses heavy traffic flow.
The protesting doctors had also alleged that they were baton-charged by police on Friday evening.
The Kolkata Police promised “necessary action” and asked them in an email to identify the police personnel involved and file a complaint.
“With regard to the allegation of physical assault, the matter is under investigation. However, you are requested to direct the doctor/person who was allegedly assaulted to file a formal complaint with the concerned police station. Necessary action will be taken in accordance with with the law,” the email said.
The protesters stressed that securing justice for the deceased female doctor remains their main priority.
Among the other nine demands, they called for the immediate removal of Health Minister NS Nigam, as well as accountability for the alleged administrative incompetence and corruption within the Health Ministry.
Other demands include establishment of a centralized referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges in the state, implementation of bed vacancy monitoring system, and formation of task forces to ensure essential facilities of CCTV, call rooms and washrooms in the state. their workplaces.
In addition, they call for increased police protection in hospitals, the recruitment of permanent female police personnel and the rapid filling of vacancies for doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers.
The trainee doctors stopped working after the rape-murder of a fellow doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. They ended their agitation after 42 days on September 21 following assurances from the state government that they would look into their demands. .
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
First publication: Oct 6, 2024 | 6:24 am IST
