With more than 650 government-employed doctors have given resignations in an unprecedented show of solidarity with their striking colleagues. The government appeared rudderless for most part of the day, with chief minister Mamata Banerjee — who had been belligerent during her visit to SSKM on Thursday — maintaining a studied silence. Things started to change, however, towards the evening, with senior Trinamool leaders and ministers Partha Chatterjee and Firhad Hakim issuing conciliatory statements, condemning the attacks on doctors and urging them to resume work.
The state’s healthcare system has been in a coma since Tuesday, due to a cease-work by junior doctors demanding security at hospitals. The trigger was an attack on doctors at NRS Medical College & Hospital, in which two doctors were critically injured. Both are now out of danger. The complete shutdown of outpatients’ departments (OPD) has left lakhs of patients in the lurch.
On Friday, too, OPDs remained shut across government hospitals in Kolkata and several in the districts. The emergency services were on, but patients faced several problems. Because of the agitation, doctors at most hospitals were screening patients to determine whether they fell under the ‘emergency’ category. Several patients, who would otherwise have been treated at OPD but turned up at ‘emergency’ because of the agitation, were turned away, sources said.
The unprecedented number of resignations on a single day appears to have been triggered by the chief minister’s response to the crisis on Thursday, when she issued an ultimatum at SSKM hospital, asking striking doctors to either return to work or face action. Undaunted by the threat, junior doctors intensified the stir, with many senior doctors also joining them to express support. The principal and vice-principal at NRS Medical College and Hospital resigned on Thursday, as did 21 senior doctors at the College of Medicine & Sagore Dutta Hospital.
Nearly 650 govt-employed doctors resign in West Bengal
