Junior Doctors Continue Hunger Strike in Kolkata Ignoring WB Chief Secretary’s Call

Kolkata: Ignoring the West Bengal Government’s request to return to work, agitating junior doctors continued their ‘fast-unto-death’ for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday demanding justice for the RG Kar rape-murder victim.

Around 15 senior doctors joined them by staging symbolic hunger strike.

The junior doctors are holding their indefinite hunger strike since Saturday in central Kolkata.

The agitating junior doctors also plan to hold a rally on Tuesday evening in support of their demands, including safety at workplace.

The West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant called up the agitating junior doctors on Monday urging them to return to work.

The agitating doctors are demanding immediate removal of Health Secretary NS Nigam as well as accountability for alleged administrative incompetence and action against corruption in the department. Their other demands include the establishment of a centralised referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges in the state, implementation of a bed vacancy monitoring system, and formation of task forces to ensure essential provisions for CCTV, on-call rooms, and washrooms at their workplaces.

They also want increased police protection in hospitals, recruitment of permanent women police personnel, and swift filling of vacant positions for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers.

They restarted ‘total cease work’ on October 1 after an attack on medics by a patient’s family at the state-run College of Medicine & Sagore Dutta Hospital. They called it off on October 4 but started dharna and ‘fast-unto-death’ on October 5.