West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday morning visited Kolkata’s main public hospital and asked the striking junior doctors of the State to return to work immediately or face administrative action.
Following Ms. Banerjee’s visit and the stern warning, the situation seemingly “aggravated” in the medical colleges of Kolkata.
In Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College & Hospital (NRSMC&H) — where a junior doctor was assaulted on June 10 — the interns came together to raise slogans against the Chief Minister. They closed all the entrances to the hospital and said that they will continue with the protest.
The junior doctors are also demanding a public apology from the Chief Minister.
The NRSMC&H has been cordoned off by hundreds of policemen in combat gear with half-a-dozen senior IPS officers at the spot.
Many family members of the patients admitted to the hospital were seen trying to climb one of the gates of the hospital close to Sealdah station, in central Kolkata.
Relatives of the patients admitted at the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital try to jump over the gate, in Kolkata on June 13, 2019.
The doctors alleged that Ms. Mamata had aggravated the situation.
“We were actually planning to withdraw the agitation. But the Chief Minister threatened us, called us outsiders and supporters of particular political parties. She has aggravated the situation,” said junior doctor Arpit Saha.
The traffic almost came to a standstill on the main arterial road in front of the hospital.
'We want justice'
Earlier in the day, Ms. Banerjee reached the main public Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial (SSKM) Hospital and asked the striking junior doctors to return to work or face administrative action.
But the doctors started raising “we want justice” slogans demanding justice and virtually blocking her entry into the hospital. The doctors also demanded enhanced security and quick delivery of justice.
Ms. Banerjee, however, said that doctors’ strike will not be tolerated.
“I will ask the police to take strong action. Those who will return to work will be allowed to stay in the hospital and other will not be allowed to stay. The police will have to vacate the hospital premises and only patient and their families will stay,” Ms. Banerjee said.
She also said that professionals in essential services cannot go on a strike.
“Many policemen are killed [while on duty], but they cannot say that will not return to work. Doctors will have to give services to the patients. They will have to return to work today,” she said using a microphone.
The junior doctors’ strike — which is a regular feature in Bengal — started following an attack on one of the on-duty doctors after a patient passed away earlier in the week.
Eventually the strike spread across the State and the doctors stopped attending to the outpatients in all public and private health facilities in the State on June 12.
Patients suffer more
The work suspension call was given by both the forums of the doctors in West Bengal because of which the patients suffered immensely.
Santosh Debnath, a businessman, of Tollygunje said that he had to borrow a huge amount of money to fly his old and ailing mother out of the State for treatment as her condition deteriorated. “And I do not know how long will the strike continue,” he added.
Ms. Mamata, during her visit in the morning, also met with the patients at the SSKM hospital. As the patients appealed to the Chief Minister to intervene, she asked the police to transfer the critically ill patients to a private facility for treatment.
Meanwhile the BJP’s State chief Dilip Ghosh said that a “particular community” had attacked the doctors, indicating that the Muslims have targeted the doctors.
Five persons have been arrested for the attack on doctors.
