Kolkata junior doctors call off strike; issue 24-hour ultimatum to govt

Kolkata: Junior doctors in West Bengal called off their "total cease work" at state-run medical colleges and hospitals on Friday evening, according to. However, they threatened to launch a hunger strike until death if the West Bengal government did not meet their demands within 24 hours.

"We are calling off our 'total cease work' and returning to duties. But we will continue our sit-in protest. We will give the state administration 24 hours to fulfil our demands, or else we will start a hunger strike till death," announced Debasish Halder, a junior doctor from Kolkata Medical College and Hospital.

Braving the persistent drizzle, the junior doctors, holding a large clock, reiterated their demands, including establishing a central inquiry committee for disciplinary action against those involved in the "threat culture" across all medical colleges in West Bengal.

"But the state government must not think we are calling off our agitation as we are scared. If they think there is nobody with us, they are wrong. We have the full support of the common people. We are planning for a bigger demonstration as we will continue sitting at Dorina Crossing. We will work and simultaneously continue our stir. We are carrying this clock to keep track of every minute and every hour, and in case our demands are not fulfilled, we will sit for a hunger strike until death," Halder said.

Another junior doctor, Aniket Mahato, noted, "Today, we called off our 'cease work' around 8.30 pm. So, we will wait till 8.30 pm tomorrow to see whether the state government takes any step or not." Shortly before this announcement, the junior doctors initiated a sit-in at a crucial junction in the Esplanade area of central Kolkata. They alleged that police had lathi-charged some of their colleagues during a rally to demand justice for the deceased woman doctor from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, disrupting traffic in the area, according to police.

"Two of our colleagues waiting near a road (in Esplanade) for us were beaten up by the police. We do not know the reason. We were conducting a peaceful rally here and had permission to hold a press conference here. We protest this attitude of the policemen. Police have to apologise, else we will continue with our demonstration," one of the junior doctors said.

The junior medics held a rally from SSKM Hospital in Bhowanipore to Esplanade, emphasising that justice for the deceased woman medic was paramount. Among their other nine demands were the immediate removal of state Health Secretary N. S. Nigam and accountability for administrative incompetence and corruption within the health department.

They also called for establishing a centralised referral system in all hospitals and medical colleges, a digital bed vacancy monitoring system, and task forces to ensure the necessary arrangements for CCTV, on-call rooms, and washrooms. Furthermore, they stressed the need for increased police protection in hospitals, the recruitment of permanent female police personnel, and the prompt filling of vacant positions for doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers.

"Elections for student councils must be conducted immediately in every medical college. All colleges must recognise the Resident Doctors' Association (RDA). And the elected representation of students and junior doctors must be ensured in all committees managing colleges and hospitals," Halder emphasised.

The junior doctors demanded an immediate inquiry into the rampant corruption and lawlessness within the West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC) and the West Bengal Health Recruitment Board (WBHRB).

Following a request from their senior counterparts, the junior doctors held a governing body meeting of the Junior Doctors' Forum throughout Thursday night, leading to the decision to suspend their 'total cease work' and resume normal duties. They had previously renewed their 'cease work' on October 1 after an attack on medics by a patient's family at the state-run College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital the previous week.

Before this, junior doctors had participated in a complete 'cease work' for 42 days following the rape and murder of a fellow medic at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. They ended their strike on September 21 after discussions with state officials, resuming essential services.