23 patients lost their lives due to doctors’ protest.
Health services in West Bengal remained shut for more than a month due to strike and protests by junior doctors demanding justice in the rape-murder case of a trainee doctor in Kolkata. The West Bengal government told the Supreme Court on Monday that 23 people have died due to the doctors’ protest.
The Supreme Court directed the protesting doctors to return to work by 5 pm on Tuesday and said that no action would be taken against them once they resume work. Protests have been going on since the evening of August 9 after the body was found in the seminar hall of the RG Kar Hospital in the rape-murder case of a trainee doctor.
The court said that the doctors should return to work.
On August 20, the High Court took suo motu cognizance of the rape-murder case of a post-graduation trainee doctor during a hearing to end protests by protesting doctors. Along with this, the Supreme Court also said that the absence of doctors will have an adverse effect on those people. They need treatment.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also asked junior doctors to return to duty and normalize health services. A junior doctor at RG Kar Hospital told PTI that more than a month has passed and the investigation has not reached any conclusion. When will the victim get justice? Do you think we are treating people unfairly? We do not want to stop work, but we will not return to duty until we get justice.
Telemedicine service launched
Currently, the agitating junior doctors have come together to launch a telemedicine service called Abhay Clinic. With this he has started taking care of patients. On that he said, we don’t want poor patients to face hardship due to our closure. But our demand is clear, you give us justice we will get back to work. Remember that the longer you delay, the more ferocious our agitation will grow.
This is how they are treating patients
According to the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front, thousands of patients have been treated through their virtual telemedicine service since it was launched on August 31. Junior doctors are demanding the removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal as they believe the IPS officer failed in his duty following the rape-murder case of a trainee doctor.
The state health department is not ready to reveal the exact number of patients who have allegedly lost their lives due to delays in treatment due to the strike. However, it has been claimed that the poor and marginalized sections of the society have been affected the most.
