West Bengal’s junior doctors, who resumed their agitation on Tuesday in the wake of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder, accused the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of slow investigation. In a statement, the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front also appeared to question the Supreme Court, saying they are “disappointed and angered by this protracted judicial process.”
The doctors, who called off their weeks-long strike on September 19 after a series of marathon meetings with Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, said the state government hasn’t fulfilled their promises.
“We understand that many questions are on everyone’s mind today. We too had many questions as we looked toward the Supreme Court. We wanted to know what the CBI and the Supreme Court had to say regarding the murder and rape of Abhaya. However, we realized just how slow the CBI’s investigation is. We have seen many times before that the CBI has been unable to reach any conclusions, allowing the real culprits of such incidents to go free due to delays in filing charges. The Supreme Court, which had taken the initiative to expedite the trial of this heinous incident, has instead only postponed hearings and reduced the actual length of proceedings. We are disappointed and angered by this protracted judicial process,” they said in the statement.
In the statement, the doctors’ body mentioned an incident in a state-run hospital where the patients turned on doctors.
“Fifty-two days have passed since August 9, yet what have we gained in terms of security? The CCTV cameras, which the state government promotes as the main indicator of safety, have only been installed in a fraction of the necessary locations in colleges over these 50 days. Additionally, we heard that we did not provide an ICU bed to a critically ill patient at Sagore Dutta Medical College! We did not offer them medical services! The people of the state know how false this accusation is. Due to the lack of necessary ICU beds at Sagore Dutta Hospital, despite the desperate efforts of junior doctors, a critically ill patient could not be saved. Following this, due to inadequate security measures, the patient’s relatives turned on the doctors, and a female intern and nurses were physically harassed,” they said.
Also read: Kolkata court pulls up CBI over RG Kar rape-murder: ‘Shouldn’t be so casual’
“From the first day of our movement, we have stated that without ensuring patient services in government hospitals and making user-friendly changes to existing hospital infrastructure, it is impossible to ensure the safety of doctors and healthcare workers. The incident at Sagore Dutta is a glaring example of this,” they added.
They claimed that the health secretary lied to the Supreme Court about their role in the Sagore Dutta incident.
“On September 19, the Chief Secretary assigned the Health Secretary to implement all decisions related to structural changes for our safety and patient services in his official email. However, even after 11 days, we have seen no visible changes. He has even lied before the Supreme Court regarding the incident at Sagore Dutta, placing all the blame on junior doctors. Previously, we had raised the demand for the removal of Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam, who is implicated in monumental corruption and the politics of fear in the health sector. We also believe that such rampant corruption is impossible without the incompetence or active support of the health department. We demand that the Health Ministry take responsibility for administrative failure and corruption and that the Health Secretary be immediately removed from his position,” they added.
The removal of the health secretary was one of the primary demands of the doctors during their previous protest against the rape and murder of the trainee doctor. The government had shunted several officials, including the Kolkata police commissioner, but refused to remove the health secretary.
“On September 19, we withdrew our full strike and returned to work in essential services, with outdoor and indoor services starting in many places. We showed goodwill by returning to work based on two meetings with the state government, the removal of CP, DME, DHS, DC North from their positions, and some written directives concerning safety and patient services. Yet, eleven days have passed since then, and we see no implementation of the government’s written directives anywhere,” they said.
They said they have not noticed any progress on their demands.
“Whether it is the installation of CCTV, the recruitment of police, or measures to enhance patient services, such as a centralized referral system, bed vacancy monitoring, and the hiring of healthcare workers, we see virtually no progress. We want to remind the government that we are not protesting merely for paper promises; we are protesting for a genuine, people-oriented change in the state’s healthcare system so that patients receive proper services and doctors and healthcare workers are ensured a safe, fear-free workplace,” they wrote.
The protesting doctors have placed 10 demands before the Bengal government.
1) Abhaya’s question of justice should be answered immediately without any further delay in the form of a protracted judicial process.
2) The Health Ministry must take responsibility for administrative incompetence and corruption and must immediately remove the Health Secretary from his position.
3) A centralized referral system must be implemented immediately in all hospitals and medical colleges in the state.
4) A digital bed vacancy monitor must be established in each medical college and hospital. 5) Task forces based on each college, with elected representation of junior doctors, must be formed in all medical colleges and hospitals to ensure necessary arrangements for CCTV, on-call rooms, and bathrooms.
6) Police protection in hospitals must be increased, with the hiring of permanent male and female police personnel and not by civic volunteers.
7) All vacant positions for doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers in hospitals must be filled immediately.
8) Inquiry committees must be established in every medical college to investigate those involved in threat syndicates and punish them. An inquiry committee must also be formed at the state level.
9) Elections for student councils must be conducted immediately in every medical college. All colleges must recognise RDA. Elected representation of students and junior doctors must be ensured in all committees managing colleges and hospitals.
10) The rampant corruption and lawlessness inside WBMC & WBHRB must be brought under enquiry immediately.
Also read: Kolkata murder case: Supreme Court pulls up Mamata Banerjee govt, says…
What happened in the Supreme Court on Monday
The Supreme Court asked all social media platforms to remove posts disclosing the Kolkata victim’s name and identity. The court also reviewed the status report submitted by the CBI and acknowledged that significant leads had emerged from the investigation.
The court noted that the victim’s injuries were exacerbated by her braces and glasses.
The Supreme Court instructed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to provide an update at the next hearing on whether individuals under investigation for financial irregularities were still employed at RG Kar Hospital.
The court later adjourned the case till the Dussehra vacation.
What happened on August 9 in RG Kar Hospital?
On August 9, the victim was found raped and murdered inside the seminar room of the RG Kar Hospital. She had gone to the room to rest during her grueling shift.
The police have arrested a man named Sanjay Roy for the crime.
The crime also revealed systematic corruption in the hospital. There was also an alleged attempt to cover up the crime. The police have arrested the ex-principal of the hospital, Dr Sandip Ghosh, and a police officer.
With inputs from PTI, ANI
