Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 13: Nationwide strikes and protests by junior doctors, trainees and medical students affected healthcare services in West Bengal and other parts of the country on Tuesday as long queues of patients were seen at out-patient departments of all government-run hospitals since early morning.
Senior doctors were substituting their junior counterparts to address the rush even as agitating doctors in Kolkata set a deadline of Wednesday for the police to complete their investigation into the alleged rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The investigation into the case, however, has since been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI by the Calcutta High Court.
The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) has announced that they would continue the strike as their demands for the Central Healthcare Protection act have not been met yet. The union health minister JP Nadda, however, was busy in blaming the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government for the gruesome incident instead of sparing time for a Central government measure to ensure protection to the medical practitioners.
The National Medical Commission issued an advisory asking all medical colleges and institutions in the country to step up the security measures at campus premises. “All Medical Colleges are requested to develop a policy for safe work environment within the College and Hospital campus for all the staff members including Faculty, Medical Students and resident Doctors,” stated the NMC.
“The policy should ensure adequate safety measures at OPD, wards, casualty, hostels and other open areas in the campus and residential quarters. Corridors and campus be well lit in the evening for staff to walk safely from one place to other and all sensitive areas be covered by CCTV for monitoring,” said the statement.
The semi-nude body of the postgraduate trainee doctor was found in a seminar hall at the West Bengal government-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Friday morning, and a civic volunteer was arrested on Saturday in connection with the crime.
The incident has triggered protests by medical professionals nationwide united in demanding a safer workplace. The Calcutta High Court which was hearing a bunch of petitions including a few demanding CBI probe into the gruesome incident, acknowledged their agitation in asking tough questions of the state.
“Doctors are on strike… hospitals are not functioning, and patients are suffering. This is not in Bengal alone but across India. We need to take into account their feelings also. Their colleague has been brutally raped and murdered,” the court said, pointing out the doctors had also not been impleaded.
“You (the state) need to take note of their problem also. If one of their colleague was so brutally dealt, their feeling must also be noted. If we can get the name of an association, we can appeal to them… (but) what is the state doing?” the court asked.
“… Doctors are justified because the incident is so gruesome. They are asking for basic things,” the court continued, brushing aside an objection that “it is difficult to bring entire campus under CCTV…” “No, no… you can bring the entire state under CCTV! The state should get into a dialogue with the doctors… this should have been done by now.”
An under-fire state government told the court a “thorough (and) transparent” investigation is underway and that the doctor’s family “is being updated regularly by (a) top police officer.” The state also warned the court “social media is full of wrong information.”
An initial autopsy report had said she had wounds in her eyes, mouth, and genitals, as also left leg, neck, right hand, ring finger and lips. A second report detailed additional injuries, such as shards of glass in her eye. The parents argued this morning that the extent of these injuries suggest more than one attacker, a claim refuted by the state that said “… if there were more people nature of injuries would be different.” Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer who frequented the hospital, has been arrested in connection with the crime.
The Kolkata Police sources said the assistant superintendent of the hospital who was the first to call the victim’s family and told them she has died of suicide, has been summoned for questioning. The head of the chest department of the medical college, where the victim worked, will also be questioned.
Speaking on the incident, Mr Nadda said, “The incident that took place with the young woman PG student in West Bengal is really heart-wrenching and has shaken the world and the country. I condemn it and express great sorrow that such an inhumane incident has happened.”
Nadda further said, “The way the incident took place and the way the government has tried to hide it, no amount of condemnation will be enough. Bengal has become a state where there is no such thing as law and order, lawlessness is at its peak and the sad thing is that atrocities on women are increasing day by day in West Bengal and all this is happening despite having a woman Chief Minister, this is even more worrying.”
“I would also like to say that the way the West Bengal government has tried to hush up and suppress this case, I condemn it in the strongest terms. I welcome the decision of the High Court for the CBI inquiry, I am confident that the CBI inquiry will bring out the truth,” Nadda said. “Many delegations of Doctors’ Association have met us in the last 2 days, I have assured everyone that the Central Government will take action against anyone connected with this incident. I will definitely find a remedy for this and I am sure that whatever steps are necessary for this, the Government and the Ministry will take them,” Nadda added.
Welcoming the Calcutta HC’s order to transfer the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital doctor rape and murder case to CBI, BJP leader Amit Malviya slammed West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. Taking on X Malviya said “Another shame for Mamata Banerjee. Under her watch, law and order in West Bengal has collapsed completely, with crime against women seeing a sharp rise. People of Bengal have no confidence in WB Police, which acts more like ruling TMC’s doormat, than a professional force. Bengal, at 2.5%, has the lowest conviction rate and a case pendency rate of 98.1%, with respect to crimes against women. Almost every case from Bengal gets referred to the CBI, he claimed.