Top Cop Changed, Officials Gone, But Kolkata Doctors Continue 'Cease Work'

Junior doctors protesting in Kolkata against the rape-murder of a 31-year-old medico at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital said late last night that they will continue their 'cease work' agitation till the Mamata Banerjee government fulfills all their demands. They have said they will reach out to the state government for more discussions on the demands yet to be fulfilled.

The West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front said in a statement that many attempts were made to malign their movement. "Due to our movement's pressure, the state government was forced to remove the Police Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner North, Director of Health Services and Director of Medical Education. This is a partial victory of our movement," they said.

The doctors said that in their meeting with Chief Minister Banerjee on Monday, there was no decision on their demand to remove the Principal Secretary (Health). "The Chief Minister gave us a verbal assurance, but we have not seen any step in the direction so far."

The doctors' body also flagged the Supreme Court's observations on the Bengal government's notification that said state-run hospitals would avoid giving night shifts to women doctors. The doctors said it is not possible to provide security to women by creating a gender divide. Following the court's observations that it is the state's duty to provide security, the Bengal government's counsel Kapil Sibal said the notification will be tweaked. The doctors also pointed to the court's remarks on contractual staff being roped in to provide security at hospitals.

The doctors' body has said that merely beefing up security at hospitals will not ensure the safety of doctors till health services are improved. It has pressed for adequate recruitment of healthcare staff and counselling services at hospitals. "Ordinary people face problems due to corruption in the allotment of hospital beds, and shortage of life-saving drugs. We want a solution to all these problems," the doctors' forum said.

The junior doctors said that during their meeting with the Chief Minister, they had demanded a college-level task force to address these problems. "We think more discussions are needed. It is not clear how these demands will be fulfilled."

They have also underlined their demand for an end to the "politics of fear" in medical colleges and democratic student union elections. "The Chief Minister announced from our protest site that patient welfare committees will be dissolved, but we got nothing in writing and there is no clarity on how these committees will be set up again."

The doctors' body said that it wants the government to hold discussions and fulfill the demands. "We want to return to work," the junior doctors said.