Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Oct 1: A day after the Supreme Court pulled up the Mamata Banerjee government for the “tardy progress” in arranging for security for the medical staff, the agitating junior doctors in West Bengal on Tuesday announced resumption of cease-work protest on the ground that the State government has not taken adequate steps to ensure security and safety in hospitals.
This decision to resume their strike comes a day after the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud hearing the rape and murder case urged protesting doctors to resume duty in full capacity. This is the third time that the junior doctors in the state have ignored the apex court’s request to resume work in the larger public interest and decided to pursue their path of agitation to seek “justice” for their colleague raped and murdered in the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.
In their statement on Tuesday, the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF) put forth ten demands, including the removal of the State’s Principal Health Secretary, task forces in every medical college, increased police protection in hospitals, and immediate hiring for all staff vacancies.
The rape and murder of a 31-year old trainee postgraduate doctor had sparked off widespread protests across the State, with junior doctors of all State-run hospitals going on a 42-day strike till their demands for increased safety and a remedy for alleged ‘threat culture’ were met.
Junior doctors had earlier called off the strike and resumed work in emergency services on September 21, following the WBJDF’s meeting with the Chief Minister on September 16 and the Chief Secretary on September 18.
On September 19, the Chief Secretary issued a set of directions to the State health department regarding the safety, security, and efficient functioning of State-run hospitals, aligned to the demands posed by the WBJDF.
However, on Tuesday the WBJDF claimed that despite their resuming duty, there has been little progress by the Mamata Banerjee government in implementing the directives, like installing CCTVs, recruiting police, ensuring a centralized referral system or hiring healthcare workers.
Protesting junior doctor Aniket Mahato underlined that ensuring safety for healthcare workers would require the administration to implement infrastructural measures as well as to take strict action against the perpetrators behind the doctor’s rape and murder.
“As we had promised, we resumed essential services including partially in IPD and OPD in the last twelve days after our two meetings with the State government. We wished to see a proactive approach by the State government in fulfilling what they had promised us. But all they did was issue directives, with no steps to materialise those directives,” Dr Mahato said.
He also reiterated that the doctors demand speedy justice for the victim, including ascertaining the motive behind the crime, and arrest and punishment of all those who were involved. “Without that, how will we know that the perpetrators are still not walking amongst us? How will we feel safe?” he asked.
Junior doctors also cited instances of violence against doctors at Sagore Dutta Medical College and Hospital in North 24 Paragans District and National Medical College and Hospital in Barhampur that unfolded after the doctors had resumed duty. “No inquiry committees have been established against the heads of the current threat syndicate in healthcare, and no initiatives have been taken by the government to form elected student councils in colleges,” they said.