Eleven days ago, the junior doctors marched from Salt Lake Karunamoyee to Swasthya Bhavan with five demands. The first of the five demands was the swift identification and arrest of all culprits by the CBI that is probing the rape and murder of the 31-year-old postgraduate trainee of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
On Friday, as they withdrew their sit-in outside Swasthya Bhavan, the junior doctors marched to the CBI office at Salt Lake’s CGO Complex with the cry: Ar Kotodin Somoy Chai/Jobab Dao CBI (Tell us CBI/How many more days do you need?).
Metro spoke to some of those who walked in the rally.
Soham Gangopadhyay
Third-year postgraduate trainee (PGT) of radiology and oncology, NRS Medical College and Hospital
We never ever imagined that we would receive this kind of support from common citizens. Our biggest achievement is to have such a large mass of people with us throughout this movement. People understood that if the state of the health department improves, it will ultimately benefit them. People understood that this was not an issue only for doctors but all of them.
Arimpa Saha
Third-year PGT, gynecology, Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital
We have been able to move the authorities who have now started taking steps to increase security in hospitals. When I visited my department recently, I saw CCTV cameras were being installed. Police and other officials have inspected the girls’ hostel for installation of more CCTV cameras. But this will mean nothing if they are not monitored properly.
Subhabrata Patra
Second-year postdoctoral trainee, cardiology, SSKM Hospital
People were not aware of what was going on inside medical colleges, that our institutions were being destroyed from within. This movement has shown people the rot and the need to cleanse it. Before solving any problem, we should first acknowledge the problem.
The two major changes we want in the hospitals are enhanced security and a central referral system to reduce harassment of patients.
Lahari Sarkar
Third-year PGT, general surgery, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital
The Supreme Court’s order to the state health department to take confidence building measures is an achievement for us. Following the court’s order, we had several rounds of dialogue with the state government. We are now hopeful about the formation of resident doctors’ associations, internal complaints committees to deal with sexual harassment and the installation of CCTV cameras. All of these will make the hospitals more secure and safe for us.
Anjana Sinha
Retired scientist
My daughter is studying to be a doctor. The woman who was raped and murdered at RG Kar and my daughter are of similar age. Many young doctors now have to walk two blocks to reach a rest room. What happened at RG Kar is not only heinous but has led us to think collectively as a society whether we are indeed civilised or not.
Debopriya Banerjee
Theatre artiste
Initially, I was disappointed that the junior doctors were returning to work. I thought some compromise had been reached. My disappointment was somewhat assuaged when the junior doctors announced that they would continue these protests even after returning to work. This will keep up the pressure on the government and force them to act.