Junior doctors in Bengal call off cease-work, to rejoin emergency duty Saturday

KOLKATA: Junior doctors decided on Thursday to end their 42-day cease-work and a nine-day sit-in since Aug 9 over the rape-murder of a colleague at RG Kar hospital in a graded manner, beginning with a return to emergency duty Saturday. They will, however, refrain from joining OPD or inpatient services for now.

The larger protest, however, is not off. The doctors will leave the dharna venue in Salt Lake Friday and march to the nearby CGO complex where the CBI office is located, demanding quick probe and justice for their colleague. After that, they plan to head to their respective campuses, from where they will keep the protest alive by rotation.

The step followed a 10-point response to their demands from Bengal govt Thursday following Wednesday's meeting with the chief secretary and another with CM Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday.

WB pledges panic buttons in hospitals & college security audit
The move also follows sustained pressure from a section of protesters themselves — as also from some of the senior doctors — who felt that continuing to be inflexible in their stand, though several of the demands had been met, would be counter-productive.

Govt outlined several steps. Former DGP Surajit Kar Purkayastha was appointed to carry out a security audit at all medical colleges and hospitals. A notification called for upgrade of security &amenities, including a centralised helpline and a panic call button alarm system.

It also spells out steps to be taken on setting up an internal complaints committee, a grievance redress system in hospitals, and a real-time bed availability and referral system. Several of these demands directly address the agitating doctors’ demands.

“Our eyes will be on next Supreme Court hearing on Sept 27,” said Debasish Halder, a West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF) member.

Before the protesters announced the formal withdrawal of their cease-work and sit-in in Salt Lake, one got an inkling that the sir was nearing the end when decorators who had set up tents, installed lights and fans, and provided power generator sets began removing them.

With the crowds thinning since Wednesday evening, the decorators realised the elaborate arrangements that had been made were no longer required. It made sense to wind up and get ready to meet the requirements at Durga Puja pandals in housing societies.

Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority, which had supplied four bio toilets, took them away for cleaning.
“After nine days of sit-in on the street, fatigue has set in,” a junior doctor said on Thursday morning, offering a clear hint that the agitation was on its last throes.

Sujoy Basak, a decorator who had supplied gen-sets, said he had received a call from his contractor Wednesday night alerting him that they do not need so many at the site. “Pujas are here and we are receiving orders. We also need to service the gen-sets before they are dispatched to the pandals,” added Basak.