Many senior doctors across medical colleges in Bengal have resigned to express solidarity with the protesting junior doctors, who have been on ceasework since the assault on two interns at NRS hospital early on Tuesday.

Officials said professors, assistant professors and resident medical officers sent their resignation letters to the director of medical education.

It started on Thursday with the College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital. More than 15 doctors of the Kamarhati hospital put in their papers.

On Friday, nearly 100 doctors at NRS hospital resigned. A resignation letter bearing the signatures of the 100-odd doctors was sent to the director of medical education. Copies of the letter were sent to the NRS principal and medical superintendent and additional chief secretary of the health department.

The doctors wrote in the letter that they could not treat patients without help from junior doctors. They said they decided to resign since they were unable to “render any effective services” to patients.

At SSKM, more than 170 doctors put in their papers. Senior doctors assembled at the protest venue in front of the academic building of SSKM around 3.30pm on Friday.

In the presence of hundreds of protesting junior doctors, Arpita Ray Chaudhury, a professor in the department of nephrology, Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research (IPGMER), read out a statement on behalf of senior doctors.

“We, the senior doctors of IPGMER, Kolkata are not separable from the junior doctors as far as the health system is concerned and we all stand in full solidarity with them. We are offering uninterrupted emergency services.... We expect the authority to take immediate steps to address the genuine grievances of doctors to run the healthcare services fearlessly. We never discriminate the patients by name or surname, religion or caste and strongly condemn the efforts to communalise the doctor fraternity. Organised hooliganism against doctors is never a spontaneous reaction to treatment-related grievances.

“We know that the people are the worst sufferers of this impasse and solidarity with the people has to be established as early as possible. Immediate stern steps have to be taken against all those involved in violence against doctors in an exemplary manner. We feel the authority is hiding its utter deficiencies in the healthcare system by diverting people’s grievances to the serving doctors. We are not enemies of the people.

“In the absence of any positive development in the last 24 hours from the administration, wem the following doctors, would like to offer our resignations from our service en masse,” the statement read.

One doctor at SSKM said they were still working because the resignation had not yet been accepted.

Another doctor said the letter mentioned that they would quit if the situation remained the same. “So, if the impasse is resolved, the letter will have no relevance,” the doctor said.

Those who signed the resignation letter said “the present situation” was “not ideal for delivering patient care”.

Till late on Friday, sources said, around 100 senior doctors at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital signed a resignation letter. Almost all of them turned up for work and signed the attendance register. Some of the doctors who signed the letter said they would continue to work till their resignation was accepted.

The resignation letter sent by doctors of the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital states they had been trying to give their best to “take care of all patients and run the hospital smoothly and peacefully” but were “unable to provide proper service” because of the current situation.

“We strongly stand by the demands of security and protection of all health care personnel,” the resignation letter said. “Hence, in absence of any positive development from the administration we… would like to offer resignation from our service. Please accept… and oblige.”

Sources at medical colleges said senior doctors started sending the resignation letters from late afternoon after the principals appealed to them to run the outpatient departments.

“At the college council meeting, I urged the department heads to start the outdoor units. But they said that was not possible without the support of junior doctors,” said Suddhodhan Batabyal, principal of RG Kar hospital. “I am told that several doctors later resigned. But the resignation was not sent to me.”

The north Calcutta medical college has 38 department heads. Some doctors said around 600 postgraduate trainees, nearly 100 housestaff and 200 interns work to run the hospital round the clock. “In the outpatient department, if a serious patient turns up and we think he or she requires immediate operation, how will we manage?” asked one of them.