Kolkata: The West Bengal doctors – government confrontation has intensified as agitating doctors who have been seeking justice for their deceased colleague at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital threatened to hold a strike by all medics in the state on October 22 if their demands are not met. Stating that they are in talks with their colleagues in other states, the medics said there may also be a country-wide strike by doctors on Tuesday over the issue. The junior medics said that they, along with senior doctors, were giving a deadline to the state government till October 21 to fulfil their demands.
The doctors want the chief minister Mamata Banerjee to sit for a discussion and implement all our demands. The doctors are adamant that unless their demands are not accepted, all the junior and senior doctors of both government and private healthcare facilities will be forced to go on strike on Tuesday. Claiming that the doctors were not against the interest of the people, he said they had withdrawn their earlier cease work for the same.
Meanwhile the fast-unto-death by the agitating medics in West Bengal entered the 14th day on Friday over demands for justice for the deceased woman doctor of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital and workplace security. So far, six fasting junior doctors have been hospitalised after the deterioration of their health condition, a protesting medic said, adding that eight doctors are currently on indefinite fast at the agitation site. The protesting doctors are demanding justice for the deceased woman medic and immediate removal of state Health Secretary N S Nigam. Their other demands include 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 went on a cease work following the rape-murder of their fellow medic at R G Kar hospital on August 9. They ended their stir after 42 days on September 21, following assurances from the state government to look into their demands.
