NEW DELHI: 50 Senior faculty members of RG Kar Medical College on Tuesday tendered resignations in support of the protesting junior doctors.
The decision to resign en masse was taken at a meeting of the heads of various departments of the state-run hospital on Tuesday morning, they said.
“This has been decided at today’s meeting of the HoDs. All 50 senior doctors of our hospital have signed their resignation letters.This is to express our solidarity towards those young doctors who are fighting for a cause,” a senior doctor told PTI.
Despite appeals from the West Bengal government urging the junior doctors to return to work, they have remained resolute in their ‘fast-unto-death’ protest. Around 15 senior doctors joined the demonstration in solidarity, staging a symbolic hunger strike at Dorina Crossing in central Kolkata.
Chief Secretary Manoj Pant has called for the medics to resume their duties. However, the junior doctors have made it clear that their priority is justice for their deceased colleague. They are demanding the removal of Health Secretary NS Nigam and accountability for alleged administrative failures.
On October 1, the junior doctors resumed a total cease-work in response to an attack on their colleagues at the College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Medical College. However, they lifted the strike on Friday after issuing a 24-hour ultimatum to the Mamata government.
The doctors have presented a 10-point charter of demands focused on enhancing security in hospitals, addressing a culture of intimidation, and improving patient care services. Key demands include the removal of the Health Secretary, an investigation into alleged corruption within the West Bengal Medical Council and Health Recruitment Board, and the establishment of student council elections in all medical colleges.
The Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front is calling for the installation of CCTV cameras in hospital premises, 24-hour security for healthcare workers, and stricter protocols to safeguard medical professionals from violence. They have voiced concerns about the pervasive culture of fear in state-run hospitals, claiming that the administration has failed to create a safe working environment.
The doctors’ protest was sparked by the tragic rape and murder of a trainee female doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.
