The junior doctors on a sit-in in front of Swastha Bhawan have questioned the chief minister’s claim that the healthcare system in Bengal has collapsed because of their ongoing agitation.

The junior doctors have been on cease-work since the 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor was raped and murdered at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.

“We are merely trainees meant for learning treatment protocols… the health care of the state cannot depend on only these 3 per cent trainee doctors,” said a spokesperson for the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front in a video posted on their Facebook page late Friday evening.

The Front has been spearheading the movement demanding speedy probe and trial into the rape and murder of their colleague as well as stronger security measures and safety protocols at hospitals and other state-run health care facilities.

If the state’s health care system totally depends on 3 per cent trainee doctors, the spokesperson said, “the question gets automatically directed to the already existing lacunae in the healthcare system which currently has many vacancies and numerous infrastructural deficiencies at every step.”

On Thursday, after the protesting junior doctors’ turned down the government’s call for talks for the administration’s refusal to live-stream the meeting, the chief minister had said 27 lives were lost because of the ongoing cease-work.

“Seven lakh people are not getting any treatment. Around 1,500 people suffering from cardiac problems including heart attack were awaiting surgeries,” Mamata had said on Thursday. “Those who died without getting treatment, should I not light a candle for them, sympathise with their families? Many lives have been lost at homes. We are trying to get those figures.”

On Friday, the chief minister announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for each family that had lost a life “without treatment”.

The junior doctors said the chief minister’s comment disheartened them.

“The chief minister mentioned how the healthcare system has collapsed due to our cease-work, citing certain examples this has made us even more disheartened,” said the spokesperson. “We have already mentioned that all our facilities are uninterrupted, that all our senior faculties are working relentlessly to keep healthcare services running… without any arrogance or ego we also believe that a question on healthcare services is a direct insult on our respected senior faculties, nurses and other hospital staff.”

The Supreme Court had told the protesting junior doctors to resume their duties by 5pm on August 11. The Director Medical Education has asked the principals of teaching hospitals to send a list of junior doctors who have resumed duties.

Senior doctors in Bengal and the All India Federation of Resident Doctors have threatened immediate strike if any punitive action is taken against the protesting junior doctors.

While Mamata had apologised to the people of Bengal for their “suffering” and also offered to resign, the agitating junior doctors apologised to the victim – “She who lost her life due to a possible systemic corruption and a deep-rooted conspiracy” – for not having been able to get her justice in over a month’s time.

“We are on the streets for the last 34 days,” the spokesperson said. “We are not seasoned protesters.but we have been forced to come out on the streets…”

They said they had put forward “five justified demands”, “all of which are extremely pertinent to seek justice for Abhaya but time and again even after repeated attempts to fulfil our demands by going door to door of various administrative heads, we didn’t find a ray of hope towards justice.

In this scenario, they said, the chief minister’s invitation had filled them with hope. They said they were disappointed that the CM sent out a press release saying they were 45 minutes late when they had been out on the streets for 34 days and been without sleep for nights.

They questioned why the state government called off the meeting on such a “small issue” as live telecasting. They said their delegation was also told to leave all devices outside.

They asked why the meeting could not be televised when courts live stream proceedings and the chief minister too live streams her administrative meetings.