Junior doctors threaten to launch hunger strike if demands not met

Agitating junior doctors demanding justice for the RG Kar medic on Friday evening called off their 'total cease work' at state-run medical colleges and hospitals but threatened to launch a hunger strike till death if their demands were not met by the West Bengal government within 24 hours. an agitating doctor, Debasish Halder of Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, said.
Braving the incessant drizzle, junior doctors held one big clock in their hands reiterated their demands including the directive to form a central inquiry committee for disciplinary proceedings against alleged perpetrators involved in "threat culture" in all medical colleges of West Bengal, among others."But the state government must not think that we are calling off our agitation as we are scared. If they think there is nobody with us, they are wrong. We have full support of the common people," he said. "... We are planning for a bigger demonstration as we will continue sitting at Dorina Crossing. We will work and simultaneously continue our stir. We are carrying this clock to keep a track of every minute and every hour and in case our demands are not fulfilled, we will sit for a hunger strike until death," Halder said.

#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal | Junior Doctors give an ultimatum of 24 hours to the state govt to fulfil their demands else will go on indefinite hunger strike as they protest against RG Kar Medical College & Hospital rape-murder incident at Esplanade pic.twitter.com/L1leB7CUzz

— ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2024

The medics said that justice for the deceased woman medic continued to be on top of their demands while among the other nine demands, they called for the immediate removal of state Health Secretary N S Nigam and the health department to take responsibility for administrative incompetence and corruption.They also demanded the setting up of a centralised referral system at all hospitals and medical colleges in the state besides a digital bed vacancy monitoring system, constituting task forces to ensure necessary arrangements for CCTV, on-call rooms, and washrooms.