Cal Med College & Hosp stir: Junior docs withdraw gherao of sr officials

kolkata: The gherao of senior officials at the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) by the junior doctors was withdrawn early on Wednesday morning, 34 hours after the agitation started. The agitating students have decided to start a hunger strike from Thursday as the college authorities did not meet their demand of holding a students' union election.

The Principal of the CMCH and various departmental heads who remained gheraoed since Monday afternoon have been freed. The agitating junior doctors, however, said that they will continue their movement till the medical college authorities conduct students' union election. A meeting was held between the two sides but the medical college authorities failed to provide any assurance on election. Health services were hampered on Tuesday as the junior doctors carried out an agitation demanding students' election. Pandemonium broke out when patients' family members broke open a lock put on the collapsible gate. Nursing personnel staged a counter demonstration as the nursing superintendent also remained gheraoed. Central lab of the hospital did not function for three hours on Tuesday morning.

Situation started improving in the afternoon with the emergency ward and the outpatient departments (OPDs) slowly coming back to normalcy. The Pathological department also resumed but the X-ray and Biochemistry department did not properly function till late afternoon. A patient's relatives registered a PIL at the Calcutta High Court after the health services were affected.