Kolkata: As the protests over rape and murder of an on-duty trainee doctor gains momentum, 45 senior doctors and faculty members of RG Kar Medical Centre and Hospital resign on Tuesday to show solidarity with their juniors.
The senior doctors stated that as the demands of the junior doctors have not been met by the government, they have decided to step down from their post to extend their support to the protesting juniors.
Moreover, the health of the protesting doctors, who are on ‘fast-unto-death,’ is also deteriorating day by day, but the government and the administration of RG Kar are doing nothing to help them out.
“The health of the protesting doctors who are currently sitting on hunger strike is deteriorating. We request the government to come into reconciliation with protesting doctors and the ones who are sitting on an indefinite hunger strike,” said senior doctors in their letter to RG Kar Hospital’s administration.
The senior staff members have also pressed on the administration of RG Kar Hospital to “reconcile” with protesting junior doctors, who are demanding justice for their dead colleague.
“We senior doctors of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital are giving mass resignation as the government seems to be oblivious to the deteriorating condition of the doctors on hunger strike and if the situation demands we will also go for individual resignation,” wrote the senior doctors in their statement.
Another doctors’ organisation, the Joint Platform of Doctors (JPD), also came out in support of the junior doctors.
Joint convenor of JPD, Doctors Punyabrata Gun and Hiralal Konar issued a statement, “Many faculty members /senior doctors in government service expressed their desire to submit mass resignation in view of the ongoing movement ‘Justice for Abhaya’ and against a corruption-threat syndicate, for campus democracy and patient-friendly system. Junior doctors are on hunger strike and have sat in demonstrations for the last five days for their demands.”
“Yet, no response from the appropriate authorities to solve, to save our children from impending health disasters. In this situation, the Joint Platform of Doctors, West Bengal, will stand in solidarity if medical teachers/ government doctors go for mass resignation. JPD also appeals to those who are in private practice, to take some befitting action,” they added in their statement.
As the nation is gearing up to celebrate Dusshera, junior doctors have staged their “fast unto death” protest seeking justice for the trainee doctor who was raped and murdered while she was on duty.