Calcutta: Protests demanding swift punishment for those responsible for the rape and murder of a doctor inside a Kolkata hospital continued for a third day on Sunday, affecting services at government hospitals in West Bengal.
Junior doctors, interns and post graduate students (PGT) of several state-run hospitals are also demanding security for themselves in medical facilities.
None of them returned to work on Sunday as authorities at several hospitals are facing problems in providing service to patients, officials said.
The body of a woman PGT member, who was raped and murdered inside the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, was found in the seminar hall on Friday morning. The protests began later that day in the afternoon.
On Saturday, a person who apparently was not from the hospital was arrested.
“We want the state government to fulfil our demands and punish the culprits at the earliest. Our protest will continue till then,” said a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical and Hospital.
He said the safety of medical professionals, particularly those still in training, must be strengthened with urgent and effective measures.
“The government must take significant steps to ensure that justice is done for the victim. The incident not only reflects systemic failures at the hospital level, but also points to broader societal problems that demand immediate and targeted attention,” he said.
Support for the protesting doctors came from all corners of the country.
The Federation of All India Resident Doctors Associations (FORDA) has supported the ongoing strike and called for a nationwide suspension of elective services in hospitals on Monday.
FORDA has informed the Union Health Ministry about its decision.
The West Bengal Doctors Forum also wrote to the state Chief Minister. Mama Banerjee requesting him to form an impartial investigative committee to investigate the rape and murder of PGT.
The Forum also demanded adequate security for doctors and health workers employed in different hospitals in the state, in addition to capital punishment for the culprit.
Meanwhile, the state health department on Sunday cancelled days off and holidays for all senior doctors to address the stalemate.
“This will continue till the situation normalises,” a health department official told PTI, adding that hospital directors have been instructed to issue orders in this regard.
Outpatient departments are not open on Sundays in state hospitals.
“We expect a large influx of patients from Monday onwards as outpatient clinics will open. That is why the licenses of all senior doctors have been cancelled,” the official said.
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