Normalcy restored at emergency departments of Bengal medical colleges as junior docs resume work

Kolkata, Sep 21 (IANS) Normalcy has been restored at emergency departments of different medical colleges and hospitals including R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata, as protesting junior doctors resumed work on Saturday.

Honouring their commitment, the junior doctors who had been protesting for over a month over the rape and murder of a junior doctor of R.G. Kar, resumed their duties on Saturday morning.

However, as announced by them on Friday evening, while lifting their demonstration on the issue, the junior doctors resumed work only at the emergency departments of the medical colleges and at the temporary medical camps opened in different flood- affected districts of West Bengal.

Confirming the return of service, Arif Ahmed, a representative of the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Forum (WBJDF), the umbrella organisation of junior doctors spearheading the protest, said that with the junior doctors returning to work, emergency services and trauma care units of the state-run medical colleges and hospitals were fully operational from Saturday.

Another representative of WBJDF said the junior doctors decided to withdraw their cease-work protests following an assurance from the state government about fulfilling their demands as well as keeping in mind the larger public interest.

“Now it is up to the state government on how promptly it can implement its assurances, and enforce tight security measures at the medical colleges and hospital to prevent the recurrence of such a ghastly tragedy in future.

“We will also keep a watch on whether the state government is really serious about fulfilling the promises they made about meeting our demands. If they cannot fulfill their promises within a specific period of time the cease-work might be resumed again,” he said.

A crucial hearing in the rape and murder case is scheduled at a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court on September 27.

Noted lawyer Indira Jaising is representing the junior doctors in the apex court.

While Karuna Nundy is representing the senior doctors, Vrinda Grover is representing the victim’s parents.

–IANS

src/rad