Cease-work move: Jr docs keep an eye on SC hearing, CM meet
Times of India | 30 September 2024
Kolkata: The Supreme Court hearing at 2pm on Monday on the RG Kar issue and steps taken by the state will have a bearing on whether the junior doctors renew their statewide cease-work. While junior doctors in many medical colleges want to go back to complete cease-work after the assault on their colleagues at College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital (CoMSDH), the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front (WBJDF) decided to wait till Monday's SC hearing.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, too, is likely to chair a cabinet meeting and an administrative review meeting on Monday, in the backdrop of the RG Kar issue.
"We will be keeping an eye on what the Bengal govt submits to the SC on issues of safety and security and other confidence-building measures. We also will see when the CBI submits its chargesheet. Depending on these issues we will take a call on complete cease-work," said Debashis Halder, junior doctor at Medical College Hospital Kolkata. The junior doctors had partially lifted their cease-work on Sept 21 but after the Sagore Dutta incident, they have threatened another spell of cease-work.
On Sunday, police commissioner Manoj Verma went to RG Kar to inspect its security arrangements, the upgrades that have taken place and the works that are yet to be completed.
He was accompanied by senior officers from Lalbazar and north division. He was seen entering the hospital's emergency, trauma care and maternity wards. He left the hospital after an hour's visit but did not speak to the media.
At Sagore Dutta Hospital, 12 constables and four police officers were deployed on Sunday, taking the strength at the hospital police outpost from 28 to 44. Four persons who had been arrested for attacking the junior doctors are now in police custody. But the junior doctors are not satisfied. "The fully operational police outpost was established on the hospital campus on Sept 18. Yet over 15 individuals, allegedly relatives and acquaintances of the deceased, managed to enter the female medicine ward without encountering any resistance from police or security personnel," said Akash Roy, a senior PGT doctor.
"The Sagore Dutta incident is evidence that not much has changed, and the assurances have remained mostly on papers. We are eagerly waiting for what the state govt submits to the SC tomorrow and wait for WBJDF's final call on cease-work," said Mrinmoy Basak of Calcutta National Medical College. "After 10 days, there is no directive on some of the issues we raised. There is the need to address the security issues at the earliest, especially after the CoMSCD incident which is forcing us to consider another round of crease work," said Aniket Mahata of RG Kar Medical College.
The cease-work at Sagore Dutta Hospital disrupted services on Sunday. "It has caused a disruption in medical services, leading to fresh agitation by the relatives of patients. Senior doctors and nurses are struggling hard to manage the situation," an official of the hospital management said.
The relatives of patients expressed their frustration over the disruption of medical services following the strike.
Sujay Mistry, medical superintendent and vice-principal (MSVP) of CMSDH, told TOI: "Although normal medical services have been partially affected by the strike, senior doctors, medical college professors, and non-clinical healthcare professionals from all departments are stepping in to attend to patients in the OPDs and other departments, including the emergency room. Senior doctors are under significant strain.
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Mistry expressed moral support for the junior doctors' strike, which centers around demands for improved safety and security for healthcare workers. "We are deeply concerned about the recent attacks on doctors and nurses. The higher authorities need to take more active measures to ensure proper security arrangements for healthcare workers to prevent further incidents, even inside hospital departments," he added.