West Bengal’s junior doctors announce fresh strike alleging non-fulfilment of safety demands
News Mania Desk /Sohom Chatterjee/1st October 2024
On October 1, Tuesday, the junior doctors of West Bengal have announced that they will be rebooting cease-work protest prior to Durga Puja due to the state government’s inadequacy to take steps ensuring the safety and security of the health workers in hospitals.
In a statement issued by the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF) on Tuesday, they proposed their 10 demands which include the removal of the State’s Principal Health Secretary, task forces in every medical college, increased police protection in hospitals, and immediate hiring for all staff vacancies.
After the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud urged protesting doctors to resume full duty during the hearing the rape-murder case, this decision comes forward.
The brutal rape-murder of Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital’s junior female doctor on August 9 sparked off a statewide mass uproar, leaded by the junior doctors for justice of the deceased doctor. Although the doctors ran the strike for 42 days, they resumed work on emergency services from September 21 after a meeting between the representatives of WBJDF and the CM.
Despite them resuming duty, there has been little progress by the Mamata Banerjee government in implementing the directives, like installing CCTVs, recruiting police, ensuring a centralized referral system or hiring healthcare workers.
Aniket Mahato, a protesting junior doctor, highlighted how government implementation of infrastructural measures and strict repercussions against the criminals are needed to achieve safety of the doctors. Dr Mahato said, As we had promised, we resumed essential services including partially in IPD and OPD in the last twelve days after our two meetings with the State government. We wished to see a proactive approach by the State government in fulfilling what they had promised us. But all they did was issue directives, with no steps to materialise those directives.”
He also reaffirmed that speedy justice for the victim is needed to ensure the security of the doctors at their workplace as he stated, “Without that, how will we know that the perpetrators are still not walking amongst us? How will we feel safe?”
