The Supreme Court has ordered the doctors to return to work, but they are still providing telemedicine services to patients.
Healthcare services across West Bengal have faced severe disruptions for over a month due to a strike by junior doctors protesting the alleged rape and murder of a colleague at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
On Monday the West Bengal government informed the Supreme Court that the ongoing protest has resulted in 23 deaths. The strike, which has significantly impacted patient care, continues despite the court’s orders for the doctors to resume work.
The Supreme Court ordered the protesting resident doctors to return to work by 5 pm on Tuesday and assured them that no adverse action would be taken upon their resumption.
The protest began on the evening of August 9, following the discovery of a female medic’s body in a seminar hall at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
On August 20, the Supreme Court, while addressing a suo-motu case related to the alleged rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, urged the striking doctors to end their protest and return to work.
The court emphasized that the ongoing absence of the doctors is having a detrimental impact on individuals in need of medical care, stressing the urgent need for resuming normal healthcare services.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has called on junior doctors to return to their duties and restore normal healthcare services.
One junior doctor from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital told PTI “It has been over a month, and the investigation has yet to reach any conclusion.
When will justice be served to the victim?
Are we being unjust to the people by continuing this strike? We do not want to prolong our cease-work, but we will not resume duty until justice is delivered.
In the meantime, the protesting junior doctors have set up a telemedicine service called the ‘Abhaya Clinic’ to continue patient care. They are using this platform to attend to patients remotely.
“We don’t want to see poor patients suffer because of our strike” the doctor explained. “However our demands are clear: justice must be served and then we will return to work. The longer the delay the more intense our protest will become.
According to the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front their virtual telemedicine service, which began on August 31 has already provided treatment to several thousand patients.
We are also providing care through our virtual clinics, which is why we’ve organized open-to-all physical clinics across the state,” a junior doctor explained to PTI. “We plan to hold these camps regularly in addition to the free virtual service offered at the Abhaya Clinic.”
On Sunday, the protesting junior doctors set up open clinics in various city locations including Kumartuli, College Street, Chitpur, Dharmatala, and BB Ganguly Street, attracting thousands of patients. Similar physical ‘Abhaya Clinics’ were also held in different districts across the state.
“We had doctors from various specialties at the clinics yesterday, and we saw a large turnout of patients seeking medical advice,” he added.
Meanwhile, senior doctors and professors have been stepping in to provide care in the outpatient departments (OPDs) and other areas in the absence of the junior doctors, ensuring that patient services continue despite the ongoing strike.
The junior doctors are demanding the removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal, accusing him of failing to properly address the rape and murder of their colleague. They claim that his handling of the case has been inadequate and have used this as a key point in their protests.
Recently, the junior doctors staged a rally at the Kolkata Police headquarters in Lalbazar where they presented a formal petition demanding Goyal’s resignation.
During the demonstration they carried a symbolic replica of a spine mocking the police chief by suggesting he was lacking in resolve and backbone.
The state health department has yet to provide specific figures on the number of patients who may have died as a result of treatment delays caused by the ongoing strike.
However they have acknowledged that the disruption has significantly impacted poorer and marginalized communities.
An official from the state health department speaking to PTI on condition of anonymity confirmed that there have been reports of patient deaths but no conclusive evidence linking these fatalities directly to the strike by junior doctors.
The healthcare system is severely affected,” the official said. “Managing the large volume of patients across various hospitals has been extremely challenging and is far from easy.”
The strike has left a noticeable gap in medical services with the junior doctors’ absence creating a backlog of patients and complicating efforts to provide adequate care.
The situation remains tense as the junior doctors continue their protest, emphasizing their demands for justice and
accountability.
Junior Doctors' Strike Disrupts Bengal Healthcare Services
According to a senior official at SSKM Hospital there has been a noticeable decline in patient flow during the current crisis compared to typical levels.
“Patient inflow has deteriorated significantly,” the official explained. “Initially, patients were arriving but had to leave without being seen by doctors because the OPDs were closed. We then pushed senior doctors to attend to the patients, but many are now avoiding the hospital out of fear that they won’t receive proper care.
Sunirban Chatterjee, an arthritis and diabetes patient from Ichchapur in North 24 Parganas district, told PTI that he continues to use the medications prescribed by doctors at the Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital as he has been unable to visit due to the ongoing situation.
Debolina Dutta Ray a high school teacher from Raiganj has postponed her trip to Kolkata for a consultation at the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital because of the current healthcare crisis.
A senior official at Calcutta Medical College and Hospital confirmed that they are also taking measures to manage the influx of patients. “We have no choice but to utilize senior doctors to handle the patient load following directives from the health department,” he said.
The ongoing strike by junior doctors has led to severe disruptions in patient care forcing hospitals to adapt quickly and rely heavily on their senior medical staff to address the increasing demand for medical services.