Ganesh Kendale
NEW DELHI: The agitating doctors in West Bengal, seeking justice for their deceased colleague at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, have threatened to hold a state-wide strike on October 22 if their demands are not met. The medics, who are in talks with their colleagues in other states, have also hinted at the possibility of a nationwide strike on Tuesday.
The junior doctors, along with their senior counterparts, have given the state government a deadline of October 21 to fulfil their demands.Debasish Halder, one of the agitating junior doctors, said, “We want the chief minister (Mamata Banerjee) to sit for a discussion and implement all our demands.”
Halder emphasised that the doctors are not against the interest of the people and had withdrawn their earlier ceased work for the same reason.
However, he warned that if the chief minister does not act by Monday, they will be forced to go on strike on Tuesday. The fast-unto-death by the agitating medics in West Bengal has entered its 14th day, with six fasting junior doctors already hospitalised due to deteriorating health conditions.
After a meeting between the junior doctors and their seniors, Halder said, “Unless this is done, all the junior and senior doctors of both government and private healthcare facilities will be forced to go on strike on Tuesday.”
The protesting doctors are demanding justice for the deceased woman medic, who was allegedly raped and murdered in August, and the immediate removal of state health secretary N S Nigam.
They are also calling for the establishment of a centralised referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges in the state, the implementation of a bed vacancy monitoring system, and the formation of task forces to ensure essential provisions such as CCTV, on-call rooms, and washrooms at their workplaces.
The junior doctors had previously gone on a cease work following the rape-murder of their fellow medic at R G Kar hospital on August 9. They ended their 42-day stir on September 21, following assurances from the state government to look into their demands.
