North Bengal: Patients face a trying situation with ongoing protests by junior docs & med students

Siliguri: With doctors and students of different medical colleges in North Bengal continuing protests on Monday over the rape and murder of a doctor in RG Kar Medical College, patients are having a challenging time.

The North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) protesting doctors have launched a work suspension. Since Monday morning, only emergency services were available to the patients. As a result, the patients and their families coming to the hospital are facing problems.

Outdoor Patient (OPD) services and routine check-ups were suspended since Monday morning. The doctors staged a sit-in demonstration in front of the emergency building. Many patients had to return without receiving treatment.

Suraj Singh, a resident of Sannyasikata near Gajoldoba, Jalpaiguri who had come for a check up but had to return. He said: “I came here in the morning. When I asked the medical staff about the doctors, they could not give a proper answer. Later, I came to know that the doctor would not be seeing OPD patients on Monday as part of the protests.” Raja Khan, another patient with stitches said: “I had a routine check-up, but the doctor was not available. Therefore, I had to return.”

Dr Sandeep Sengupta, dean of NBMCH, said: “Senior doctors were available at the OPD. Emergency services were being provided. I accept that patients have to face some difficulties for sure but this is a big issue for which we have to take a stand.”

Meanwhile, junior doctors at Cooch Behar MJN Medical College Hospital staged a strike on Monday over the RG Kar Hospital incident. They closed the OPD while keeping emergency and maternity services open, demanding improved safety measures for medical staff. The protest caused difficulty for patients travelling from Alipurduar, lower Assam and Cooch Behar district. Rita Das, a patient from Tufanganj, expressed her concerns: “I travelled a long distance for an appointment, only to find the OPD closed. While I understand the need for justice and safety, this closure is causing significant inconvenience.”

The picture was the same at Raiganj Medical College and Hospital also. All the out patient department units remained closed. It was an ordeal for the patients. Rishav Mukherjee, an agitating doctor said: “We rendered services to emergency wards and indoor units along with emergency.”