Senior doctors of several government medical colleges in Bengal offer ‘mass resignation’ in support of hunger strike by junior doctors

The ‘mass resignation’ protest by senior doctors spread rapidly across the State; many doctors have said they were willing to resign individually as well

Senior doctors of some more State-run medical colleges in West Bengal on Wednesday (October 9, 2024) joined the senior doctors from the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH), in Kolkata, to offer ‘mass resignation’. Doctors from the Medical College Kolkata (MCK); the Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital (CNMCH); and the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH), Sushrutanagar, Darjeeling district have joined the offer of ‘mass resignation’. The ‘mass resignation’ is the first time senior medical professionals have officially supported the protest of over two months by junior doctors.

The ‘mass resignation’ protest by senior doctors spread rapidly across the State. On Tuesday (October 8, 2024), 50 doctors from the RGKMCH had signed for the ‘mass resignation’ in solidarity with their junior counterparts’ hunger strike, protests, and demands for safety.  More than 70 doctors from the MCK, 50 doctors from the NBMCH, and 35 doctors from the CNMCH signed the ‘mass resignation’ letter on Wednesday. They had previously given the State government a 24-hour notice to act on the demands put forward by their junior colleagues. 

Junior doctors hailed the move by their seniors, who were received with cheers after they signed the ‘mass resignation’ letters. 

“We are tired with the system. If needed, I am ready to give an individual resignation and be free of this duty. There are many doctors like me in the system who want to leave because of the endless problems we face,” Tapas Pramanick, Medical Officer, RGKMCH, told The Hindu.

“It has been two months since the movement started. We consider all the demands made by the juniors to be legitimate. We have asked the government to get into talks with the juniors, but they did not respond. This is unacceptable,” a senior doctor from the MCK said. 

At about 6.45 p.m., on Wednesday (October 9, 2024) evening, almost 94 hours after the hunger strike by the junior doctors began, the West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant sent a request to the junior doctors and asked them to meet him at the Swasthya Bhavan, headquarters of the West Bengal State Health Department, for a meeting. 

The token ‘mass resignation’ will not affect medical services as all resignations are subject to official acceptance. Nevertheless, the move has added to the pressure on the State government to initiate negotiations with the protesting doctors. 

A senior doctor from the NBMCH, who did not wish to be named, said that the junior colleagues sitting for the indefinite hunger strike were like their children, and it was their duty to show solidarity. “It has been more than 88 hours [since the hunger strike began, at the time of this interview] but there has been no response from the authorities,” he added. 

As part of the movement that started on August 9, senior doctors have visited protest sites in support of their juniors’ movement, and joined token 12-24 hour hunger strikes at the protest strikes.

Nine junior doctors — seven in Kolkata and two in north Bengal — have been on an indefinite hunger strike for the past five days, since October 5. Senior doctors have expressed concern for the health of the fasting doctors.

Published - October 09, 2024 10:10 pm IST