In an unprecedented show of solidarity, senior doctors at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital have submitted mass resignations in support of the ongoing protest by junior doctors. The protests, triggered by the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor on August 9, have sparked a wave of outrage across the medical community.
Videos circulating on social media captured the emotional moment when 50 senior faculty members handed in their resignations, while students applauded in support. This mass resignation follows a hunger strike that junior doctors have been participating in since Saturday, demanding justice for their colleague and calling for sweeping reforms in the state’s healthcare system.
Demands for Justice and Healthcare Reforms
The protesting junior doctors have voiced their demands, including action against an alleged corruption-threat syndicate at the hospital. They are also calling for campus democracy, a patient-friendly healthcare system, and more robust security measures in hospitals. Among their specific demands are:
A centralized referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges in West Bengal.
– The implementation of a real-time bed vacancy monitoring system.
– Formation of task forces to ensure proper CCTV installation, availability of on-call rooms, and access to functional washrooms.
– Increased police protection in hospitals, including the recruitment of permanent women police personnel.
– Immediate recruitment of doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers to fill vacant positions.
In their resignation letter, the senior faculty stated, “There has been no response from the appropriate authority to solve and to save our children from impending health disaster.” Earlier in the day, 15 senior doctors had also joined the junior medics in a symbolic hunger strike.
ALSO READ: ‘Not gangrape; Sanjoy Roy raped, killed RG Kar junior doctor’: CBI files chargesheet
Protests Amid Durga Puja Celebrations
The protests have overshadowed Durga Puja festivities in Kolkata, one of the city’s most significant cultural events. The shocking incident of the junior doctor’s rape and murder has shaken the city, with the spirit of celebration muted by the tragedy.
West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant attempted to calm the situation earlier this week by assuring the doctors that 90% of ongoing projects at medical colleges across the state would be completed by next month. “I am requesting everyone to come back to work and give services to the people… There is a positive intent from everybody’s side. What they want is a safer environment, and we are working towards that,” he said.
Renewed Protests and CBI Investigation
The junior doctors initially started their protest after their colleague was found murdered during her duty hours at RG Kar Medical College. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has since taken over the case, filing a chargesheet against Sanjoy Roy, a former contractual staff member of Kolkata Police, accusing him of the rape and murder of the doctor.
The protests were briefly suspended on September 21 after the state government promised to address the doctors’ demands. However, tensions flared again following an assault on medical staff at the College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital by a patient’s family. This led to the junior doctors resuming their protest on October 1, declaring a ‘total cease work’. Although they called off the cease work on October 4, the hunger strike was launched the following day, escalating the situation once again.
The resignation of senior faculty members has intensified the pressure on the government to act swiftly. As the protests continue, the demands for justice and healthcare reform grow louder, with the medical fraternity standing united against the systemic issues plaguing the state’s hospitals.
