Junior doctors resume work at Calcutta Medical College

Kolkata: The junior doctors who refused to work at Calcutta Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) on Wednesday, after some of them were allegedly beaten up at the emergency ward by the family members of a patient, have resumed work from Thursday morning.

The agitating doctors agreed to resume duties from Thursday morning, after the hospital authorities and police assured them that steps would be taken to check such incidents. This has restored normalcy at the hospital.

The CMCH authorities on Wednesday said that such attacks on the junior doctors cannot be tolerated. Due to cease work by the junior doctors, the health services in various departments were affected on Wednesday evening. Some of the patients were allegedly denied admission at the emergency department on Wednesday evening, due to the agitation. Ajit Singh, a resident of Jorabagan, had died at the hospital due to alleged medical negligence. CMCH turned into a battlefield on Wednesday, after a scuffle broke out between the family members of the deceased and the junior doctors.

Family members of the victim alleged that the patient, who was brought to the emergency ward of the hospital after he complained of serious respiratory distress, was denied treatment for more than two hours, resulting in his death.

After being beaten up, the junior doctors refused to work, causing inconvenience to the patients. Police later arrested five persons for triggering violence inside the hospital. The junior doctors demanded that there must be adequate security arrangements at the hospital to check such untoward incidents.