Despite deadline to join duty, junior doctors vow to continue protest in Bengal

Kolkata, Sep 10 (IANS) Unnerved by the deadline set by the Supreme Court to join duty by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, junior doctors protesting the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata have announced plans for continued agitation on the issue from Tuesday morning.

On Monday, a Supreme Court bench headed by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud ruled that doctors in West Bengal protesting against the rape-murder at R.G. Kar must resume their duties by 5 p.m. on Tuesday failing which the state government will be authorised to initiate disciplinary action against them.

The bench also comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra assured that no disciplinary action will be taken if the doctors report for duty at or before 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

The fresh demands put forth by the protesting representatives of the medical fraternity include suspension of the Health Secretary, Director of Health Services, and the Director of Medical Education.

The junior doctors will take out a march to the Swastha Bhavan, the headquarters of the health department in Salt Lake, on Tuesday afternoon in support of their demands.

Earlier, echoing the observation of the apex court, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee issued an appeal to the junior doctors to rejoin duty.

However, unnerved by the SC deadline and Chief Minister's appeal, the junior doctors have announced their stand of continued protest in the matter.

The protesting doctors have also pointed out that they are just “trainee doctors", and their absence from duty shows how pathetic the state of affairs is in the health service where there is a lack of adequate trained doctors and associated medical staff.

The protesting doctors also put forward some statistics in support of their demands.

According to them, of the 245 state-run hospitals in West Bengal, only 26 are medical colleges and hospitals.

While the total number of junior doctors in West Bengal is just around 7,500, the total number of registered doctors in the state is around 93,000.

In such a situation, when only the junior doctors attached to the medical colleges and hospitals of the state have gone on 'cease work', how could the entire health system in the state collapse, they asked.