Junior Doctors Resume Partial Duties After Demanding Justice for RG Kar Incident

Junior doctors ended their 42-day agitation over the RG Kar hospital incident, resuming essential services from Saturday. They held a march demanding a speedy CBI probe into the rape and murder case of a young doctor. The protest called for safety measures for healthcare professionals.

Junior doctors agitating over the RG Kar incident called off their 'cease work' on Friday evening, announcing partial resumption of duties entailing attending essential services in state-run hospitals from Saturday.

Ending the logjam persisting for 42 days in the wake of the rape and murder of a young doctor at RG Kar hospital, the agitating medics withdrew the 'cease work' after holding a march to the CBI office in Salt Lake from the state health department's headquarters, where they had been demonstrating for over a week.

The procession, seeking a speedy wrap-up of the probe by the CBI into the case, covered a distance of around 4 km from the 'Swasthya Bhawan' to the CGO Complex.

The medics have said they would not work in the Outpatient Department (OPD), but partially function in emergency and essential services.

''Today, we are calling off our 'cease work'. From tomorrow, we will partially join duties concerning the emergency and essential services,'' one of the junior doctors said.

He said the medics would rush to the flood-affected southern districts of the state, as well as set up 'Abhaya' clinics in memory of the RG Kar doctor. "However, if the assurances and promises (by the government) are not fulfilled, we will again start our agitation programme," another protesting doctor said.

The decision to call off the 'cease work' comes shortly after Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, following up on issues discussed in Wednesday's meeting between the agitating junior doctors and the state task force, issued a list of directives on the safety, security and conducive environment for healthcare professionals, saying those orders need to be implemented immediately.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier transferred Kolkata Police chief Vineet Goyal and appointed Manoj Kumar Verma in his place, while also removing the directors of medical education and health services.

The West Bengal Medical Council has also cancelled the registration of RG Kar Medical College's former principal Sandip Ghosh.

Ghosh, an orthopedic surgeon currently in CBI custody, has been removed from the list of registered medical practitioners maintained by the WBMC.

(With inputs from agencies.)