Protests continue against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar College and Hospital in West Bengal. Now the Federation of All India Medical Associations (AFIMA) has announced a nationwide hunger strike. The doctors’ union held a meeting and announced that the hunger strike would begin on Wednesday. FAIMA President Suvarnakar Dutta said, ‘We are in close touch with the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front and are united in our stand. After extensive deliberations, we have decided to go on a nationwide hunger strike to show solidarity with our colleagues in West Bengal.
Meanwhile, the West Bengal government has requested the agitating doctors to return to work. Urging junior doctors to return to work, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant said that 90 percent of the ongoing projects in the medical colleges of the state will be completed by next month. “I am appealing to everyone to return to work and provide services to the people,” he said at the state secretariat. Some of them have already done so. We are all working towards improving the environment. They will appreciate that very good progress has been made on the promises made by the Government.
Preparations to take out a rally this evening
The protesting doctors also announced a rally from College Square in central Kolkata to Dharmatala at around 4:30 pm on Tuesday to press for their demands. “We will also hold a symbolic hunger strike in all medical colleges and hospitals across the state,” said a doctor. Representatives of various medical associations will participate in it. It will start at 9 am on Tuesday and continue till 9 pm. We will also hold a rally in Kolkata. It is known that 6 junior doctors are fasting unto death since Saturday evening. Later another doctor joined him. Six members of the ‘Joint Platform of Doctors in West Bengal’ are considering joining the fast to show solidarity with the junior doctors.
