RG Kar impasse: Doctors to march to CBI office; to wait a week for govt to implement promises

Kolkata doctor rape-murder case: The agitating junior doctors in West Bengal, who have announced the withdrawal of their sit-in before Swasthya Bhavan, will hold a march to the CBI office in Salt Lake on Friday. They are seeking justice for the rape and murder of a medic in the state-run RG Kar hospital last month.

Ending the logjam persisting for the last 41 days, the junior doctors had on Thursday announced a partial resumption of duties. This includes attending to essential services in state-run hospitals starting from Saturday.

The medics have announced the withdrawal of their 10-day dharna near the state health department's headquarters. To mark this occasion, they will organise a procession from their protest site to the CGO Complex, covering a distance of around 4 km. They are demanding a quick conclusion to the ongoing investigations.

Additionally, the medics have announced the setting up of Abhaya medical camps in memory of the trainee doctor. The camps will be established in flood-affected regions of the state starting from Friday.

The protesting doctors announced that they would not work in the Outpatient Department (OPD) but would partially work in emergency and essential services. They said they would wait for a week for the government to implement all its promises, which if left unfulfilled, they would resume ‘cease work’. 

The announcements came shortly after Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, following up on issues discussed in Wednesday's meeting between the agitating junior doctors and the state task force, issued a list of directives on the safety, security and conducive environment for healthcare professionals, saying those orders need to be implemented immediately.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier transferred Kolkata Police chief Vineet Goyal and appointed Manoj Kumar Verma in his place, while also removing the directors of medical education and health services.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC) cancelled the registration of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital's former principal Sandip Ghosh. Ghosh, who is in CBI custody, has been removed from the list of registered medical practitioners maintained by the WBMC. His licence was cancelled under various provisions of the Bengal Medical Act of 1914. He is an orthopaedic surgeon and without the licence, he cannot practice.