Healthcare services across West Bengal have been significantly disrupted for over a month due to a cease-work protest by junior doctors demanding justice for a colleague allegedly raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

On Monday, the West Bengal government told the Supreme Court that 23 people have died because of the doctors' protests.

The top court directed the protesting resident doctors to resume work by 5 pm on Tuesday and said no adverse action shall be taken against them on resumption of work.

The protest started on the evening of August 9, shortly after the body of a female medic was found in a seminar hall at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

On August 20, the Supreme Court, while hearing a suo-motu case regarding the alleged rape and murder of the postgraduate trainee doctor at the same hospital, urged the protesting doctors to end their strike and resume work.

The court noted that the doctors' absence adversely affects those in need of medical care.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also asked the junior doctors to join duty and normalise healthcare services.

"It's over a month and the investigation could not reach any conclusion. When will justice be given to the victim? Do you think that we are doing injustice to the people? We do not want to continue to cease work, but unless justice is meted out, we will not resume duty," one of the junior doctors at the RG Kar Hospital told PTI.

The agitating junior doctors have launched a telemedicine service, the 'Abhaya Clinic', through which they have started attending patients.

"We do not want the poor patients to suffer because of our cease work. But our demands are clear and loud, you give us justice and we resume duty. Remember the more you delay, the fierceness of our movement will increase," he added.

According to the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front, several thousands of patients have already been treated through their virtual telemedicine service since it was launched on August 31.

"We are also attending patients through these virtually held clinics and that is why we organised open-to-all clinics across the state to see patients. We have decided to hold such camps frequently beside this virtual free-of-cost service at Abhaya Clinic," he told PTI.

On Sunday agitating junior doctors also held an open clinic at the city's Kumartuli, College Street, Chitpur, Dharmatala and BB Ganguly Street and thousands of patients turned up. Similar, physical 'Abhaya Clinics' were also organised in the districts of the state.

"We had doctors from various disciplines who attended yesterday's clinics and there were a huge number of patients who turned up for advice," he said.

In the absence of the junior doctors, their senior counterparts as well as professors have been attending patients at the outpatient departments (OPDs), as well as the other departments.

The junior doctors have been demanding the removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal as they believe that the IPS officer has "failed" to carry out their duty in the wake of the rape and murder of the woman doctor.

They also held a rally to the Kolkata Police headquarters Lalbazar and handed over a deputation to Goyal demanding his resignation. Ironically, the junior doctors held a replica of a spine during their rally to the police headquarters mocking that the top cop was missing it.

Though the state health department is "not ready" with the exact number of patients who have lost their lives allegedly after their treatments were delayed because of the ongoing cease-work, it claimed that the poor and marginalised class of the society were deeply affected by it.

Talking to PTI on condition of anonymity, an official of the state health department said there were reports of deaths of patients, but there was no proof whether they were directly or indirectly because of the cease work by junior doctors.

"Healthcare services are badly hit. We know how we have been managing the huge flow of patients at the different hospitals. It's not an easy task," he told PTI.

According to a senior official of the SSKM Hospital, there has been a slump in the flow of patients during this period compared to what they normally witness.

"Patient inflow has deteriorated. During the initial days, patients were coming but left without seeing the doctors because they were not there at the OPDs. Then we decided to push the senior doctors to attend to the patients. But, I think patients fearing rejection have chosen not to come," he said.

Speaking to PTI from Ichchapur in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, arthritis and diabetic patient Sunirban Chatterjee said that he is continuing with the medicines prescribed earlier by doctors at the OPD of Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital.

Debolina Dutta Ray, a high school teacher in Raiganj has skipped coming to Kolkata to consult doctors at the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital due to this ongoing crisis.

A senior official of the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital echoed taking similar steps to handle the number of patients coming to the medical establishment every day.

"We do not have any option other than employing the senior doctors at the services following the directives of the health department," he said.

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