A placard held by a doctor | (Photo: PTI)
Young doctors on Saturday partially resumed work in several government hospitals in West Bengal after a gap of 42 days.
They went on strike to protest the rape and murder of a female doctor on duty at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Although they returned to essential services and emergency care in all state hospitals, doctors continued to refrain from working in outpatient clinics.
“We have started resuming duties today. Our colleagues are returning to their respective departments for essential and emergency services, but not to the outpatient clinics. This is only a partial resumption of duties,” said Aniket Mahato, one of the protesting doctors.
Aniket, along with her colleagues Lahri Sarkar and Raktim Majumder, even operated on a female patient in the hospital.
He said some of their peers had already gone to flood-affected areas in the state to set up ‘Abhaya clinics’ (medical camps), underlining their commitment to public health despite the ongoing protests.
“Patients welcomed us back and it felt like coming home. We could see the joy in the eyes of our patients. A significant number of people came for treatment to various hospitals in the state,” said a senior official of the state health department.
Emergency services returned to normal as doctors resumed their duties. “This is a big relief for us. Though we support their cause, it has been very difficult for ordinary patients like us to get treatment in the past month due to the ‘stoppage of work’,” said Dipankar Jana, a patient at Bankura Medical College and Hospital.
In flood-hit Panskura, Purba Medinipur district, several patients came to an ‘Abhaya clinic’.
“We have received excellent response at these clinics. Many people have visited them and our colleagues have helped them. We are ready to provide 24/7 service, that is our commitment,” said Aheli Chowdhury, a junior doctor at one of these clinics.
The doctors announced that they would wait seven days until the government met their demands for justice for the deceased doctor and the resignation of the Secretary of State for Health, otherwise they would launch a new round of “strikes.”
The protests began on August 9 after the body of a woman doctor was found at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The CBI, which is investigating the case, has arrested several people in connection with the probe, including former hospital director Sandip Ghosh.
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First publication: Sep 21, 2024 | 11:50 PM IST