August 13th 2024.
In Kolkata, the tension among doctors continues to rise as they protest against the brutal rape and murder of a female doctor at a state-run medical college and hospital. The junior doctors, who are leading the strike, are demanding justice for their fellow colleague and a thorough investigation into the incident.
The effect of the strike is evident as long lines of patients can be seen at the out-patient departments of all government hospitals since early Tuesday morning. Senior doctors have been stepping in to handle the overwhelming number of patients, trying their best to address the urgent medical needs.
One of the protesting junior doctors at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital stated, "We will not back down until our demands are met. We have been very clear from the beginning - we want a judicial probe into this heinous crime." He also mentioned that a deadline of August 14 has been set for the Kolkata Police to complete their investigation.
The tension between the doctors and the authorities is evident as the junior doctors are not satisfied with the August 18 deadline given by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. They believe that the police should be able to solve the case by Wednesday. Banerjee had also warned that if the police fail to do so, she will hand over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The tragic incident took place on Friday when the body of a female doctor was discovered in a seminar hall at the hospital. A civic volunteer was arrested the following day in connection with the crime. Initially, the junior doctors had continued with their emergency duties till Sunday, but they have now completely ceased all work.
To manage the influx of patients, the state government has cancelled the leaves of all senior doctors. Thankfully, due to their presence on Monday, the pressure was handled well. However, some patients who had come for scheduled surgeries had to return home as their appointments were rescheduled.
Saiful Alam, who had travelled all the way from Murshidabad district, had to face disappointment when his surgery at Shambhunath Pandit Hospital was postponed. "I had arrived in Kolkata on Sunday evening and spent the entire night at the hospital. But the next morning, I was given another date for admission," he said.
A similar situation was observed in other hospitals as well, with patients being turned away and their appointments rescheduled. The strike has certainly taken a toll on the healthcare services in the state, and the authorities are struggling to handle the situation.
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