50 sr doctors of RG Kar hospital resign in solidarity with medics on fast; peers mull following suit

PTI, Oct 8, 2024, 5:30 PM IST

Nearly 50 senior doctors of RG Kar hospital on Tuesday tendered their resignations in a mark of solidarity with medics who have been on fast-unto-death since October 5 demanding justice for the institution’s rape and murder victim.

Shortly after the development, a section of senior doctors from other medical colleges in West Bengal said they too could follow suit.

The development came in the wake of the indefinite hunger strike being conducted by seven junior doctors in the heart of the city and a symbolic 12-hour fast being held in solidarity by their peers across medical colleges of West Bengal.

“We would be forced to give a state-wide call to all senior doctors in government hospitals to put in their papers if the government keeps dragging its feet on the just and pertinent demands of the junior doctors who are sitting in protest. This would be a move in solidarity with our junior colleagues. We will discuss this threadbare within our organisation before the end of day today,” said Dr Manas Gumta, a representative of the Association of Health Services Doctors, one of the organizations of doctors in state-run medical facilities.

The state government, on its part, has maintained that it would roll out safety and security measures it committed before the agitating doctors, including a real-time centralised bed management system, CC camera installation and panic buttons, by the first week of November.

Making that announcement on Monday, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant urged protesting doctors to remain “active stakeholders” in the state healthcare system and maintained there were no differences between the agitating doctors and the government in terms of developing infrastructure and scaling up security in medical colleges of the state. Unimpressed, the protesting doctors have put forward a 10-point demand before the government seeking immediate action and are continuing their fast-unto-death protest.

Their demands include removal of the state health secretary, appointment of male and female police personnel in medical college campuses instead of civic volunteers, filling up of vacancies for doctors, nurses and healthcare workers, holding student elections and recognition of Resident Doctors Associations, inquiries into alleged irregularities of the state medical council and setting up of college-level inquiry committees to punish those involved in the persisting ‘threat syndicate’.

The decision to resign en masse at RG Kar hospital was taken at a meeting of the heads of various departments of the state-run institution on Tuesday morning, sources said.

“This has been decided at today’s meeting of the HoDs. All 50 senior doctors of our hospital have signed their resignation letters. This is to express our solidarity towards those young doctors who are fighting for a cause,” a senior doctor told PTI.

Senior doctors at NRS Medical College and Hospital were also mulling to follow the footsteps of their colleagues in the RG Kar hospital, he said.

The Joint Platform of Doctors, West Bengal, pledged solidarity with the junior medics who have been demanding justice for the rape and murder of the woman doctor of R G Kar hospital and an end to the “corruption-ridden” healthcare system.

While junior doctors have been on fast-unto-death since Saturday evening raising their demands, there has been “no response from the appropriate authority to solve the issues”, a statement issued by the platform said.

The doctor’s platform also voiced concern over the health condition of those who are on the fast-unto-death and said they are fighting for “campus democracy and patient-friendly system”.

“In this situation, we will stand in solidarity,” the statement added.