Stalemate deepens as Bengal junior doctors' hunger strike enters day 10

Kolkata: The indefinite hunger strike by junior doctors in Bengal entered its 10th day on Monday with no resolution in sight after a meeting between medics and the state government failed to resolve the deadlock, even as two more doctors participating in the 'fast-unto-death' fell ill, further fueling the ongoing unrest sparked by the rape-murder of their colleague at R G Kar hospital.

A crucial meeting between representatives from 12 doctors' associations and Chief Secretary Manoj Pant held at Swasthya Bhavan concluded without any resolution.

The doctors had hoped for a clear timeline from the state government to address their demands, but sources indicate that the administration was reluctant to commit to any deadlines.

The doctors' hunger strike began on October 5, following nearly 50 days of 'cease work' in two phases, after the rape-murder of a postgraduate trainee inside state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.

As of Monday, seven junior doctors remain on hunger strike, with several requiring immediate medical attention.

Meanwhile, Pulastha Acharya, a junior doctor from NRS Medical College and Hospital, was admitted to the facility's Critical Care Unit (CCU) on Sunday night after complaining of severe stomach pain.

A senior doctor at NRS Medical College confirmed, "Pulastha is in the CCU and his parameters have deteriorated. We have formed a medical board to treat him." Tanya Panja, another junior doctor from Kolkata Medical College, also exhibited declining health, with her vitals becoming unstable on Monday afternoon. She remains under observation at the protest site.

Panja is one of several junior doctors whose health has worsened since the hunger strike began, with three others already hospitalised earlier in Kolkata and Siliguri.

The latest junior doctor to join the fast is from the ENT department of North Bengal Medical College, who began the hunger strike on Monday afternoon.

Monday's crucial meeting between representatives from 12 doctors' associations and Chief Secretary Manoj Pant concluded without any resolution, as the doctors hoped for a clear timeline to address their demands, but the government was reportedly reluctant to commit to any deadlines.

According to Dr. Kaushik Chaki, president of the West Bengal Doctors' Forum, the meeting was "unproductive." "We requested the state government to send someone - preferably the highest-ranking official - to engage with the young doctors who are fasting. However, the Chief Secretary indicated that he could not provide any deadlines," Chaki said.

Following the meeting, Pant addressed reporters, explaining that seven out of the 10 demands raised by the junior doctors had already been addressed, while the remaining three required further administrative consideration.

"For the remaining three demands, they were requesting specific timelines. These are administrative decisions that the state needs to consider, so we cannot provide a deadline at this point," Pant said.

He added, "We assured them that we have noted their issues and grievances. We urged them to persuade the junior doctors to withdraw their hunger strike, as we are concerned about their health and wellbeing." When asked about the demand to remove Nigam, Pant said it is for the state government to decide what action to take.

Pant also invited the Joint Platform of Doctors (JPD) for further discussions at the state health department headquarters and urged them to call off their planned 'Droher Carnival' demonstration on October 15.

The JPD had announced the demonstration in solidarity with the junior doctors, but the government expressed concern that it would coincide with the state's annual 'Durga Puja Carnival.' The junior doctors' primary demands include justice for the RG Kar Hospital victim, the immediate removal of Health Secretary N S Nigam, and improved workplace security, along with additional demands for a centralised hospital referral system, a bed vacancy monitoring system, and essential infrastructure like on-call rooms, CCTV, and proper washrooms.

Demanding a quick and transparent probe by the CBI into the alleged rape-murder of a medic at RG Kar hospital, agitating junior doctors on Monday evening took out a rally to Raj Bhawan and submitted a memorandum to the Governor's office.

Senior TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee criticised the protesting doctors, accusing them of lacking the resolve for a genuine hunger strike and mocking their "fast-unto-death" as a "fast-unto-hospitalisation," suggesting that their main goal was to attract media attention and secure hospital admission shortly after starting the protest.

"What kind of hunger strike is this? It starts from the protest venue and ends once they get hospitalised. The hunger strike that we know is a fast-unto-death, not a fast-unto-hospitalisation. What these doctors are doing is a fast-unto-hospitalisation. Do they have just this much fire in their belly?" he questioned.

In response to his remarks, protesting doctor Debashish Haldar said, "It seems he wants the doctors on hunger strike to die while protesting." Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari urged the people to boycott the 'Durga Puja Carnival' organised by the TMC government as a mark of protest and to show solidarity with the junior doctors' agitation.