Thursday, 10 October 2024
Thursday, 10 October 2024
At 11am on Thursday, the day of Maha Saptami of Bengal’s biggest festival, the junior doctors’ fast unto death demanding a cleanup of the state’s public healthcare system in the aftermath of the RG Kar horror entered its 108th hour.
The junior doctors on hunger strike at the Dorina Crossing in Esplanade in the heart of Calcutta appeared visibly weak, needing the help of their friends and colleagues to even stand or walk.
Their bodies may have weakened, but their spirit was indomitable. The protest site has grown even more crowded, with a mix of housewives, working women and concerned citizens joining.
Some of the elderly women expressed their concern at seeing the doctors in such a weakened state, unable to bear the sight of them suffering. At one point, a group of housewives at the scene became agitated and even shouted at an elderly man who praised Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee
“The meeting yesterday at Swasthya Bhawan was not satisfactory,” Dr S.K. Mehebub Hossain, junior resident doctor, Calcutta Medical College & Hospital, told The Telegraph Online.
“We are very much disappointed with the government's approach towards our legit demands regarding Abhaya's Justice and workplace safety. The officials told us nothing can be done right now because of the festival and they will only consider our demands after Puja. They also refused to give us any written promises. We are very much disheartened and we will continue our protest.”
Senior doctors also joined the protest in solidarity with the junior doctors. They observed a 12-hour hunger strike, demanding justice for their junior colleagues and echoing the dissatisfaction with the government's response.
“This hunger strike started with six people and now the number is nine,” said Dr Bhaswati Chatterjee, 40, who was observing a 12-hunger strike. “They are on a hunger strike unto death and even then our government is not bothered. I do not know what they want from us.
“I am posted in Guwahati and I have been shuttling from there for the last two months to support them. Nobody is happy with the meeting held yesterday, as there was no constructive discussion. They do not even talk properly with our people. Now it's not only about the junior doctors but about everyone. The government is stuck on their own points and those are no points actually. We are devastated,” she added.
Dr Sanjay Basu, 50, a gastroenterologist who practises in a private hospital in Mukundapur, was also observing a 12-hour fast.
“The chief secretary should have just told the protesting doctors to stop their fast,” Basu told The Telegraph Online. “There was no point in calling them all the way to Swasthya Bhawan. They are already in pain. Asking them to come and not listening to their basic demands is not right. There was no discussion at all, there was no change in action.
“This is like harassment and if the government is not calling them with good intention, then why call them at all?” Basu said. “I passed out from NRS in 2004. It's not that I like this mass resignation [by senior government doctors] but it certainly shows strong support and solidarity from our seniors. It's a big thing. There are also talks about casework to take place in private hospitals after the Puja from 14th because what else can we do apart from this? We are not trained politicians!”
Dr Debjoy Sau, 42, a gastroenterologist associated with a number of private hospitals of north Calcutta, was also on a 12-hour fast.
“The incident which happened with our sister at RG Kar has brought this protest to a new height. We have come here to support our juniors and we are not getting any positive response from our government,” Sau told The Telegraph Online.
“The doctors on hunger strike, their condition has been deteriorating like anything. I passed my MBBS from Medical College Calcutta back in 2006. The resignation of my seniors shows support. We have to reach somewhere, that's why we have to take action.”
Rahul Hazra, a final-year MBBS student at the Midnapore Medical College, told The Telegraph Online that going without food for so long was dangerous.
“We are here for so many days sacrificing on basic things and yesterday in the meeting we were told everything will happen after Puja,” he said. “My seniors are on hunger strike and their physical condition is extremely unwell. There can be chances of chronic kidney disease and the government is not at all sympathetic. This was not expected.
“After this there is no hope left in us,” he added. “I came here from Medinipur which is 4 to 4.5 hours one way. This is also hampering my studies. But I will continue to be a part of this movement.”
