50 senior doctors resign from RG Kar Medical College amid protests

Senior doctors at RG Kar Medical College stand united with juniors as college administration and city authorities fail to act on junior doctors' demands to make the campus safer

Fifty senior doctors from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital resigned on Tuesday, October 8, in support of junior doctors protesting the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor. Many doctors from the hospital shared social media posts and videos of senior colleagues resigning on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, 15 senior doctors also joined their junior counterparts in a symbolic hunger strike, further demonstrating the growing unrest within the hospital. As a result, the mass resignation has drawn widespread attention to the ongoing issue.

Accounts on X show videos capturing the senior doctors’ walkout amid applause from students. One doctor shared a video of the walkout, and a photo of the resignation, with the caption: “Safety in the workplace is basic. If you can’t ensure that, you have no right to demand services from doctors. There is no guarantee that there won’t be another... Would you want your children to work in an environment like that? Toiling away with no personal security?”
 

One user wrote, “If this doesn’t move you, nothing will.”
 

Another user shared a video of doctors lining up to sign their resignation letters, with the caption: “This move by West Bengal senior Doctors will be written in golden words for the Ages to come.”

Junior doctors on hunger strike since Saturday

The junior doctors have been on a hunger strike since Saturday, seeking justice for their colleague. They have been trying to call attention to what they describe as a ‘corruption-threat syndicate’ on the campus. Their demands go beyond addressing the tragic death, aiming to create a safer and more efficient environment at the hospital. The doctors are also advocating for improved campus democracy and a more patient-friendly healthcare system.

What are the demands of the junior doctors?

Among their key demands are the implementation of a centralised referral system for hospitals across West Bengal, real-time monitoring of bed availability, and the establishment of task forces to ensure the proper functioning of essential facilities like CCTV cameras, on-call rooms, and washrooms.

They are also pushing for stronger security measures, including increased police presence, the recruitment of permanent female officers, and an urgent hiring of more healthcare staff, including doctors and nurses, to alleviate the ongoing staff shortages.

The resignation of senior doctors follows a lack of action from authorities, according to the medical staff. In a joint statement, they expressed frustration, saying, “There has been no response from the appropriate authority to solve and to save our children from an impending health disaster.”