Junior doctors in West Bengal threatened to renew their strike on Monday following a Supreme Court hearing on the RG Kar case. The doctors, who had held a 41-day strike in response to the violent rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital last month, revived their threat after a mob attack on medics at a state-run hospital on Friday evening.
One of the junior doctors, Aniket Mahata, quoted on Saturday night, “We are giving an ultimatum to the state government. If the government fails to take any positive measures to strengthen security in hospitals and gear up hospital infrastructure, we will go on a full-fledged strike again from Monday.”
The declaration came after a mob attacked junior physicians and nurses at the Sagore Dutta Hospital in North 24 Parganas on Friday evening, following the death of a woman who was taken to the hospital with serious respiratory difficulties. Family members of the victim beat young doctors and nurses at the hospital, stating that she died as a result of incompetence.
While a few physicians and nurses were hurt, police arrested four people in connection with the attack, even though junior doctors at the hospital began a work stoppage on Friday. Following a meeting of the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF) on Saturday, Mahata announced that the Supreme Court would hear the RG Kar case on Monday.
He quoted, “The Supreme Court will hear the RG Kar case on Monday. We are all waiting for that. Our counsel will also tell the court how the state government has failed to build confidence among junior doctors by taking some positive steps. We will also see what the state tells the court. If there is no positive response, we will again start our cease work across all state-run hospitals from Monday 5pm.”