Kolkata, 16 October (Hindustan Reporter). R.G. The strike of junior doctors, who were on hunger strike demanding justice in the case of murder and rape of a female doctor of Kar Medical College and Hospital, continued for the 12th day on Wednesday. The main demand of the doctors is that they should get safety at the workplace and the culprits should be given strict punishment.
Dr Saurav Dutta of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, who was on hunger strike since October 5, was admitted to Jalpaiguri hospital on Tuesday evening after his health deteriorated. He is being treated in the CCU of the hospital. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Spandan Choudhary and Rumelica Kumar also joined the hunger strike.
Describing the 'Droher Carnival' held on Tuesday as a “success”, the junior doctors said the demonstration helped many people, including the general public, find their voice. On Wednesday, the protesters said that now they will intensify their movement so that the administration can realize that they are still fully prepared for their fight.
Debashish Haldar, an agitating doctor, said, “Yesterday the world saw how eager people are to get justice. We are glad that so many people, especially the general public, are behind our noble cause. This is inspiring us to continue our fight. Now we will take our movement forward more strongly so that the administration can realize our power.”
The health of doctors is continuously deteriorating. The protesting doctors say that if the situation worsens, they are fully prepared for it and are even ready to sacrifice their lives for their fellow doctors.
Other demands of the protesting doctors include setting up of a centralized referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges in the state, implementation of a bed status monitoring system and ensuring essential facilities like CCTV, on-call rooms and washrooms at workplaces. This includes formation of a task force. Along with this, they are also demanding to increase police security in hospitals, recruitment of permanent women policemen and filling of vacant posts of doctors, nurses and other health workers soon.
On August 9, R.G. After the rape and murder of a female doctor at Kar Medical College and Hospital, the doctors started protesting by stopping work. They ended their agitation after 42 days on September 21 after receiving assurance from the state government that their demands would be considered.