The first day of the 48-hour pen-down strike call by the Bengal chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) produced a mixed outcome in the state’s health sector, comprising both the public and private medical facilities, on Monday.

While senior doctors in a few districts like Hooghly and Nadia observed the cease-work in solidarity with the fasting junior doctors in Calcutta and Siliguri, a large number of IMA members did not respond to the call.

“The call (for cease-work) was conveyed to all local offices across the state. We have collected reports that all the members have been informed about the call for the two-day cease work. However, it had a significant impact where the office-bearers are active to make it successful and stand by our junior colleagues,” said an IMA office bearer.

A source said that in many places, ruling Trinamul Congress leaders, who are also office-bearers of the IMA, did not actively take part in the protest as the state government is against any kind of cease-work at medical facilities.

The state unit of the IMA has around 14,000 members, including those in state health services. ‘

The IMA had called for a nationwide protest after three doctors were hospitalised while participating in the fast to exert pressure on the Bengal government to fulfil their 10-point charter of demands in the wake of the RG Kar rape and murder.

As part of its protest, the Bengal chapter of the IMA announced a two-day pen-down across the state, asking its members not to participate in hospital duties orattend to patients at their private chambers on Mondayand Tuesday.

In Hooghly, the impact of the protest was significant compared to many other districts like Birbhum and East Burdwan. The outpatient department at Arambagh Medical College and Hospital was closed as most of the senior doctors took part in the pen-down drive. The cease-work also halted outpatient services in government hospitals in Chinsurah.

“We received a great response from our members, who joined the pen-down on Monday, both in government hospitals and private medical units. Unlike previous cease-works, patients and their relatives supported our movement in solidarity with the fasting protesting doctors,” said Indranil Chowdhury, president of the Hooghly chapter ofthe IMA.

“Interestingly, many patients requested our colleagues to treat them, even without a prescription, in case of an emergency,” he added.

However, multiple sources in different districts claimed that a large number of patients, particularly those visiting OPDs at various government hospitals, faced difficulties due to the cease-work.

The OPDs or outpatient facility at AIIMS in Nadia was also suspended following protests by medical professionals affiliated with the national doctors’ association.

Along with junior doctors at Malda Medical College and Hospital, many senior doctors, who are IMA members, kept their chambers closed on Monday.

In an attempt to minimise patient inconvenience, some doctors, however, treated patients at the Abhaya Clinic, located on the IMA premises in Malda, from 10am to 2pm.

Mohit Chitlangia, a paediatrician, said that except for emergency duties, they refrained from practisingat clinics.

In Cooch Behar, doctors at MJN Medical College & Hospital also joined the cease-work movement in solidarity with the fasting doctors in Calcutta. A similar situation was observed at two other medical colleges in Raiganjand Siliguri.

However, OPDs in various medical colleges and government hospitals in many south Bengal districts seemed unaffected on Monday bythe pen-down.

The OPD at Burdwan Medical College and Hospital operated fully, with most senior doctors treating patients in their respective departments.

“We had no impact from the IMA’s pen-down call. The OPD was fully operational,” said Tapas Ghosh, medical superintendent and vice-principal of Burdwan Medical College.

A source said senior doctors at Rampurhat Medical College and Hospital in Birbhum district had informed the medical superintendent and vice-principal, Palash Das, on Monday morning of their decision to cease work at the OPDs.

“It was a delayed communication from the senior doctors, and we informed them that such a decision couldn’t be accepted at the last minute. Most of the doctors treated patients at the OPD here,”said Das.

“The IMA president of Birbhum’s Rampurhat unit, Ashok Chatterjee, who is a TMC MLA from Hansan, conveyed the message of the central IMA leadership but did not play an active role in making the protest successful,” said an IMA member.

Chatterjee, however, did not respond to calls from this newspaper.

Again, most IMA members practising in the private chambers of the Khosbagan area of Burdwan kept their chambers closed on Monday.

“Khosbagan is an area with private chambers of most of the practising senior doctors, and most of them were closed as part of the protest,” said Bijit Mukherjee, an IMA member.