In Calcutta Medical College, patients suffer as junior doctors strike work over RG Kar rape & murder

Doctors across several hospitals in India on Monday organised protests and ceased work over the gruesome rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College in Calcutta on Thursday. 

The call for a strike came from the Federation of Resident Doctors Association on Sunday. The indefinite strike means protesting doctors would halt all non-urgent medical services till their demands – swift justice for the RG Kar victim and enhanced security for doctors  – are met. 

The Telegraph Online visited the largest medical college in the Bengal capital, the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, where the strike has halted services in the emergency department. Students, interns and trainees demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the RG Kar case, besides asking for better security for all their medical staff. 

“At present there are 70 patients inside the ward out of which 20-30 patients are critical and need constant supervision,” Sudeshna Pal, 28, a senior nurse in the women’s ward, told The Telegraph Online. “Prior to this [RG Kar] incident the junior resident doctors used to constantly be in the ward, which is unfortunately not the case now. 

“I will not lie,” she added. “Even though the doctors are protesting they are coming in between breaks and checking on patients whose lives are at risk. There is one senior resident at the moment inside the ward to check patients.”

The Telegraph Online also spoke with a few patients’ families, who had a different story to tell. 

“My mother-in-law, a heart patient, has been admitted to the hospital since August 6,” said Ahim Jana, a resident of Ghatal, which is around 111 km west of Calcutta. “The initial few days, we received the treatment. But since Saturday everything is on a halt and the doctors are barely visiting the ward. 

“After August 10, no doctor has come to check on my mother-in-law who is in a critical condition,” Jana said. “She is a critical heart patient yet she is admitted in the medicine department. I also witnessed a fellow patient, who was in the same ward as my mother-in-law, pass away last night due to lack of treatment.” 

Paritosh Pal, 58, a resident of Polba around 55 km north of Calcutta, also had a tale of woe. 

“My 28-year-old nephew was admitted here after he swallowed poison,” Pal said. “Initially the doctors were helpful and removed the poison from his body to a great extent. Ever since the protests started, all the tests have stopped in the hospital and my doctor is unable to operate as we don't have reports, which is deteriorating the condition of my nephew.” 

Inside the medical college campus, junior resident doctors, interns and final year students were on protest with banners saying cease work will continue till they get justice. The protesting doctors refused to speak to The Telegraph Online.

“There is no security for female doctors in the hospital,” said Pal, the lone nurse working at the ward on Monday. “As a female nurse I would also like to point out that there is no security guard in our ward.  On odd days they are there from 8 am to 5-6 pm. I have pointed this out numerous times to the hospital authorities yet no action has been taken. 

“I have witnessed situations like a female doctor checking a female patient and a male person casually entering the ward as there is no security guard to stop them,” Pal said. 

“I have faced situations like a drunk man casually jumping on me. There is no security to stop them either at the main entrance or outside the ward.” 

The nurse supports the protests by the doctors. 

“I feel the protests put forward by the junior doctors are fully justified as they do not deserve this, they do not even have a washroom to use in the hospital and they sadly they have to use the washrooms of the nursing staff, which we allow in our department but in many departments it is not allowed”. 

The visiting hour for the ward is between 11 am and 12 noon and 4-6 pm. Yet male visitors could be seen in the female ward on the second floor of the hospital well past the visiting hour.

“We are constantly here to serve the patients, but at present we are not admitting any new patients due to the crisis,” said Dr S.K Mehebub Hoshain, a resident doctor at Calcutta Medical College.  

“I believe the patients are suffering for a greater tomorrow. We are protesting for justice for a woman who was our colleague. We are doing this to give a message to the society that a crime has been committed and we need to address the same.”