Bengal Doctors' Strike Worsens, 9-To-9 Shutdown At Government Hospitals

Health services in Bengal may be headed for a shutdown today as senior doctors at state-run hospitals join a protest called by the junior doctors over an attack on their colleague. Services at the state-run institutions across the state were hit on Tuesday after junior doctors launched a protest after an intern at a Kolkata hospital was allegedly assaulted by the relatives of a patient who had died.

The outdoor patient departments (OPD) at the government hospitals will be shut today from 9:00 am. to 9:00 pm because of the protest, doctors organisations have said. While hospitals say their emergency departments will function, services are expected to be affected by the low attendance of doctors.

Private hospitals are also likely to be hit; many have expressed solidarity with the protesting doctors.

The statewide protest was triggered after a junior doctor at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata was beaten up on Monday night by the family members of a patient who have alleged that he died because of negligence. The doctor suffered a head injury and is in critical care at a private hospital. 

After the assault, the junior doctors at the Kolkata hospital stopped work demanding better security. They also accused cops of inaction when their colleague was beaten.

Some cops and ministers who visited the hospital were also heckled by the protesters. The protests at the Kolkata hospital soon spread to other parts of the state.

The state government on Tuesday assured security to the junior doctors but they did not call off the protest.

West Bengal Health Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya today said four people have been arrested over assault on doctors. "Emergency is open and talks are on. Four persons have been arrested in connection over attack on doctors," the minister said.