Friday, 20 September 2024
Friday, 20 September 2024
The Telegraph Online visited the Calcutta Medical College, the city’s largest medical college, to witness the on-ground situation as the Supreme Court’s deadline of lifting cease-work passed on Tuesday, 5 pm and found that the protesting junior doctors still hadn’t joined work despite the apex court directives.
The female ward of the hospital was half empty, with only 10-12 patients in the entire ward. Only one junior doctor came to attend the handful of patients present, that too, after a nurse called the doctor to the ward. Three nurses were also present in the ward, but regular medical staff weren’t noticeable.
The area, where the junior doctors have been staging their cease-work protest, displayed a sombre mood. The protest space featured a replica symbolising “Abhaya”, the 31-year-old trainee doctor who lost her life on August 9 at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Three nurses attended to patients in the emergency ward, indicating that the emergency services continued and the cease-work hadn’t compromised critical care facilities.
The Telegraph Online spoke to some of the protesting junior doctors and found that the Supreme Court’s directive to end ceasework led to dissatisfaction among many.
“Ekhun toh cease-work cholbei” (We will continue with the cease-work),” said Dr. Archisman Jana, an intern at the Calcutta medical college. “The emergency work is however going on. I would like to add that the protest is of junior doctors and my senior dadas (senior doctors) are addressing the patients as per the requirements. I don't have any problem returning to work but justice is required for that.”
Another intern, Dr. Sontu Mandal, told The Telegraph Online, “We just want justice and nothing more. This will continue as long as things do not get sorted. We should get a fair solution.”
The month-long protests have seen junior doctors across the state taking part in a ceasework. The West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front, representing these doctors, had announced after the court hearing on Monday that their protest would continue.
“If we lift the cease-work and get back to our duties, there will never be a solution to this, we will never get justice. As it is now the entire matter has turned upside down. The way the lawyers are speaking in the court that ‘because of doctors, patients are dying’ it is nothing like that. Patients are being addressed, work is going on full-fledgedly. In normal situations we work from 8 to 24 hours a day and now also if need arises we do go and address emergencies side by side our seniors,” Dr Gourav Das, an intern at the Calcutta medical college told The Telegraph Online
On Tuesday, hundreds of junior doctors marched towards Swasthya Bhawan, the headquarters of the West Bengal health department, demanding justice for the victim and the resignation of top officials, including the Kolkata Police commissioner and the state health secretary.
The doctors carried with them brooms and a replica of a brain to showcase their intent to 'clean up' the health sector and push the authorities to 'think' about a fair solution.
Till 7 pm, the junior doctors were in a sit-in demonstration outside the Swasthya Bhavan. Reportedly, an email came from Nabanna, the state administrative headquarters, saying a team of the protesting doctors would be allowed to meet the chief minister for breaking the deadlock.
State minister Chandrima Bhattacharya held a press meet in the evening and informed that, the chief minister waited for the protesting junior doctors till 7.30 pm and left Nabanna as the protesting doctors didn’t reply to the email.
The junior doctors alleged that words like ‘small delegation’, ‘not more than ten’, are insulting.
