Junior doctors at state-run hospitals in West Bengal will continue their ceasework despite the Supreme Court’s appeal to them to resume their duties. They have been protesting against the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital for the past 14 days. Healthcare services are likely to remain affected at these medical institutions.
The doctors continued their stir Thursday (August 22) even though the state government transferred three RG Kar officials and cancelled the posting of the hospital’s former principal Sandip Ghosh to the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital (CNMC). Their decision comes after resident doctors at AIIMS, Delhi, and RML Hospital announced that they were withdrawing their 11-day strike following the top court’s appeal.
“We are resuming duties following the Supreme Court’s appeal and assurances and intervention in the RG Kar incident and the safety for doctors. We commend the court’s action and call for adherence to its directives. Patient care remains our top priority,” the Resident Doctors’ Association, AIIMS, New Delhi, said in a post on X.
The resident doctors’ association of RML Hospital said in a statement that “given the Supreme Court’s intervention and the progress made in addressing their demands”, they will resume their duties from 8 am on Friday (August 23). The strike is being suspended in response to the SC taking suo motu cognisance of the case and the transfer of the probe to the CBI, it said.
Earlier in the day, the junior doctors in Bengal said their protests will continue as only part of their demands have been met and they will wait for the development at the Supreme Court. “We have the main demand for the justice of our sister yet to be fulfilled. We will wait and see today’s development at the Supreme Court and decide after that,” a doctor told PTI in the morning.
As the hearing commenced, the SC made an impassioned appeal to the protesting doctors across India and asked them to get back to work. The court said “justice and medicine” cannot be stopped and moreover, it was issuing all the necessary directions to ensure their safety. It further directed no coercive action against them.
The apex court further said peaceful protests over the incident shall not be disturbed or disrupted by the West Bengal government. It, however, said has not injuncted the state government from exercising such lawful powers. “When we say peaceful protesters will not be disturbed, we also mean proper protocol will be followed,” the SC bench, headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, observed.
The assault and murder of the woman doctor in Kolkata sparked nationwide protests. On August 12, resident doctors’ associations started a nationwide protest, halting outpatient department (OPD) services. Emergency services continued as usual.
(With PTI inputs)
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