Majority of agitating docs return to work at RG Kar Hospital
kolkata: A day after the state government urged agitating doctors at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital to resume work, majority of post graduate trainees (PGTs) and house staff—who had been protesting since October 9—joined duty on Wednesday, restoring normalcy in various departments.
A few interns are still continuing hunger strike and threatened to intensify the stir if their demand of removing the present principal from his post was not fulfilled.
About five interns have refused to withdraw the agitation. One of the agitating interns fell ill.
PGTs had started joining duty from Tuesday. Senior officials of the hospital visited emergency department, gynecology, chest, trauma care and outpatient departments to supervise the situation.
Normal services are being restored in all the departments. Some senior officials on Wednesday met the interns on hunger strike to examine their health.
Only a handful of interns, who have refused to withdraw the hunger strike, have stated that they would not stop unless the principal of RG Kar Medical College was removed.
Senior health officials on Tuesday directed all the department heads of RG Kar to ensure that health services were not hampered at indoor and outpatient departments.
During a meeting at Swasthya Bhawan, director of Medical Education Dr Debasish Bhattacharjee directed various department heads (HoDs) of RG Kar Medical College to assign medical officers and assistant professors with additional responsibilities so that people were not denied treatment. Hospital authorities also made a list of all the agitating junior doctors who were not joining duties.
The health officials, however, stressed upon finding an amicable solution through dialogues between two sides.
The agitation was launched on October 9 with various demands.
As a result, emergency medical services were grossly affected over the past few days. Now, the situation would gradually become normal, the health officials hoped.
