Bengal
The Telegraph
Crackdown
in hospital
Calcutta, Nov. 7: Police today removed from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital
junior doctors and medical students protesting the punishment meted out to
four interns and two junior doctors following unruly incidents on Saturday
night.
The relay hunger strike continued in front of the hospital’s main entrance
even as three of the suspended interns — of the SUCI-affiliated All-India
Democratic Students’ Organisation — finalised plans to go to court against
the “unjust, illegal and partisan” government order.
Critics of the state government’s handling of the latest healthcare crisis,
however, conceded that the suspension of the four “innocent” interns and
dismissal of the two “non-CPM” house-staff had all but shifted the public
— and media — glare away from the tottering healthcare infrastructure.
“Even if the government loses the battle in the court, it has achieved two
big objectives,” said RG Kar alumnus Mridul Sarkar. “It has shifted attention
from the almost daily healthcare crises and sent out a stern message to every
government doctor and health worker that ‘leaking’ news of shoddy hospital
management will not be tolerated.”
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1031108/asp/nation/story_2549415.asp The Times of India
Suspended
interns go on hunger strike
KOLKATA: Three of the four suspended interns of R.G. Kar Medical College
went on hunger-strike at the hospital with 30 junior doctors on Friday.
Around 11 am, junior doctors and students were prevented by the police from
staging a sitin outside the principal’s office. After they were thrown out
of the hospital premises, they sat outside the main gate with placards.
There was heavy police deployment at the hospital.
In the evening, members of the SUCI-backed Medical Service Centre held a
meeting to discuss the next course of action.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=273088 The Times of India
Junior
docs refuse to relent
KOLKATA: Suspension notices on four R.G. Kar Medical College interns added
to the tension at the city hospitals on Thursday.
The agitating doctors are in no mood to relent. The interns have written
to the college principal to let them know the charges against them.
Some SUCI-backed students had proposed to move court against the state. However,
their seniors felt it would give a scope for the government to shut off negotiations
on the matter, calling it sub judice.
The defiance has put the CPM student wing SFI on the back foot. Even state
party secretary Anil Biswas was not prepared for such a hasty action, insiders
said. Sensing the mood, the state SFI leaders have started making requests
to the government to reconsider the action.
The SUCI-controlled Medical Service Centre announced a committee comprising
senior members of the medical fraternity to probe the November 1 incident.
“A sustained campaign has to be launched against the court order. We are
considering all possible options,” said Ashok Samanta, secretary of the Medical
Service Centre.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=271214 The Times of India
Campaign
for suspended interns gains momentum
KOLKATA: Friends of four suspended interns of R.G. Kar Medical College have
decided to start a campaign for the withdrawal of the punishment.
Supporters of the SUCI-backed Medical Service Centre held a meeting outside
the NRS Hospital on Saturday.
The All India Democratic Students’ Organisation and the Trinamul Chhatra
Parishad have separately called a state-wide student strike on Monday. “We
will have a class boycott and a march to Writers’ is also planned. The government
decision to suspend the interns because of their political affiliation is
totally unjust,” TCP president Baishwanar Chatterjee said.
MSC members said streetcorner meetings, conventions and demonstrations would
be held during the coming week. “We are trying to create support in the larger
community against such acts of injustice,” said MSC member Anup Maity.
The Indian Medical Association (Calcutta branch) will organise a convention
on November 14 where senior doctors will participate. “The option of cease-work
is still there and it would be possible for us to muster support in the wards.
But since patients will obviously face harassment, we are avoiding it,” said
a junior doctor
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=273935