No end to cease-work as junior docs give health dept meet a miss
Times of India | 25 August 2024
Kolkata: Agitating junior doctors skipped a meeting of senior state health department officials and doctors' organisations at Swasthya Bhawan on Saturday, signalling a continuation of their cease-work at govt hospitals at least till next week.
The meeting convened by the health department, to find a formula to end the strike, was attended by various bodies, including IMA West Bengal, Joint Platform of Doctors, Protect the Warriors and Service Doctors Forum, Medical Service Centre.But the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Forum (WBJDF), an umbrella organisation now spearheading the statewide protest against the brutal rape and murder of an RG Kar Medical College and Hospital junior doctor, chose to stay away.
"Though we appreciate the solidarity shown by the organisations of senior doctors, a common meeting with other organisations is something we did not want. We decided to stay away from it during our general body meeting. The top health officials are protecting the culprits. We will not negotiate till we see some tangible results in the probe," said a member of WBJDF.
During the day, officials from Swasthya Bhawan, including the director of medical education, visited RG Kar Hospital and spoke with the agitating doctors but the meeting ended in stalemate.
The ongoing strike has majorly impacted services at more than 20 state-run hospitals, with around 6,000 postgraduate trainees staying away from work. Outpatients' departments as well indoor wards and emergency services have been severely affected as junior doctors form the backbone of the healthcare system at most institutes. The strike by junior doctors has severely affected services at govt hospitals. Footfall has dipped severely at many places. TOI reported on Aug 20 how the OPD footfall has dipped from 5,000 daily to an average of 300 a day at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, the epicentre of the agitation.
The state govt has so far acceded to many of the demands put forward by the agitating doctors, including removal of Sandip Ghosh as principal of both RG Kar and Calcutta National Medical College, bringing in a new management at RG Kar and enhancing security measures at all medical colleges, but the junior doctors have remained firm on their cease-work. The Supreme Court's appeal to return to work, heeded by their colleagues in other states, have also failed to sway them.
A senior doctor who attended Saturday's meeting said, "We can request the junior doctors to go back to work but we cannot force them. But, to make an appeal to them, we need to have something tangible like the arrest of all involved in the rape and murder and punishment to those involved in destruction of evidence."
Representatives of all organisations who joined the meeting chaired by health secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam unanimously held the powerful ‘north Bengal' lobby responsible for ruining the state's healthcare system and wanted it weeded out. "This would be another way of showing the junior doctors and medical students that the health department was serious about hauling up the entire administration," the senior doctors said.