The Junior doctors’ hunger strike in West Bengal entered its 10th day on Monday as protesters continued to press their demands over the RG Kar hospital rape murder incident. Concerns heightened as another medic was admitted to hospital after his health deteriorated.
Pulastha Acharya of the NRS Medical College and Hospital was taken to hospital on Sunday night after experiencing severe stomach pain. According to officials, his condition has worsened, and he is now in the coronary care unit (CCU). A senior doctor at the hospital stated, “Pulastha is in the CCU and his parameters have deteriorated. We have formed a medical board to treat him.”
Previously, three junior medics participating in hunger strikes in Kolkata and Siliguri were hospitalised due to health concerns.
In response to the ongoing protests, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant wrote to the Joint Platform of Doctors (JPD) on Sunday, urging them to call off their planned demonstration on October 15, which coincides with the state government’s annual Durga Puja Carnival. He also invited them to a meeting at the state health department headquarters, Swasthya Bhawan, on Monday to discuss their demands.
In his email, Pant urged the JPD to advise junior doctors to end their hunger strike for the sake of their health and well-being.
The junior doctors are demanding justice for the RG Kar hospital victim, the immediate removal of Health Secretary N. S. Nigam, workplace security, and other measures. Their demands also include the establishment of a centralised referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges in the state, the implementation of a bed vacancy monitoring system, and the formation of task forces to ensure essential provisions such as CCTV, on-call rooms, and washrooms at their workplaces.
The hunger strike, which began on October 5, followed nearly 50 days of cease work in two phases. The agitation was sparked by the rape and murder of an on-duty postgraduate trainee inside state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital that took place on August 9.
