Kolkata Junior doctors continue their fast-unto-death protest, enter fifth day

Doctors protesting the August 9 rape and murder of a colleague at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Pic/PTI

Junior doctors in Kolkata are entering the fifth day of their hunger strike, protesting the tragic rape and murder of a colleague at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Despite the festive atmosphere of Durga Puja across West Bengal, the nine doctors have been fasting since Saturday evening, reported PTI.

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At 2:30 pm, the agitation marks its 113th hour without food as the junior medics gather at Dorina Crossing in Dharmatala in the heart of Kolkata. The ongoing protest of fast-unto-death began after a total cease work that had significantly impacted the healthcare services.

On Wednesday evening, the state government held a meeting with the protesting doctors, led by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, but failed to resolve.

After the meeting, the junior doctors expressed their frustration over receiving only "verbal assurances", from officials, and that no concrete actions were promised until after the puja festivities.

"Our friends have been protesting without food for over four days, and the government says it will consider our demands only in the third week of October, after the pujas. We never expected such insensitivity," said Debasish Halder of the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front, reported PTI.

The protesting medics condemned the police for arresting their colleagues who were demonstrating and distributing leaflets outside some Durga Puja pandals in the city on Wednesday, as per PTI.

The protesting doctors' first and foremost demand is justice for their murdered colleague. They have outlined some other demands from the West Bengal Government.

One of the demands is the removal of Health Secretary NS Nigam, whom the protesting medics accuse of administrative incompetence and inaction against corruption, as per PTI.

According to PTI, the other demands of the protesting medics include a centralised referral system for all hospitals and colleges in the state, implementation of a system to track bed availability, creation of task forces to ensure essential facilities such as CCTV, on-call rooms, and washrooms at their workplaces.

The doctors are also demanding increased police protection to enhance security measures, recruitment of permanent women police personnel, and swift recruitment to fill vacant positions for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers.

The fast-unto-death protest of the junior doctors follows a 42-day work stoppage that ended on September 21 following assurances from the state government that it would look into their demands.

The doctors went on to cease work following the rape-murder of a fellow junior medic at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.

(with PTI inputs)