RG Kar Junior Doctors Protest: West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant on Friday sent an email to the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF) giving a status update on the initiatives undertaken by the state Health Department at different medical colleges and hospitals in the state following the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in August.
The body of the 31-year-old junior medic was found in the seminar hall of the RG Kar Medical College. In the email, Pant also urged the six junior doctors to withdraw their ongoing fast-unto-death agitation, which entered the seventh day on Friday.
According to the status report, extensive infrastructural developments are underway across various medical colleges in a bid to enhance the safety and security of medical professionals. Besides this, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in the state is installing a total of 7,051 CCTVs, 893 new duty rooms, and 778 washrooms at different medical colleges and hospitals in the state.
According to the status report accessed by news agency IANS, “The state government has allocated over Rs 113 crore for these projects in medical colleges alone. All tasks have been prioritised, and over 90 per cent of the sanctioned projects are nearing completion, except at RG Kar, where the necessary NOC from the investigating authorities was received just two days ago. It is expected all ongoing projects will be completed by October 15, 2024.”
The West Bengal government also made claims about ensuring comprehensive stakeholder involvement by establishing a Stakeholders Committee in every medical college and hospital. The committee will comprise heads of departments, senior and junior doctors, and nursing staff. At the same time, it further stated that the state government has constituted a state-level Grievance Redressal Committee.
Any grievances, complaints, or issues of concern from healthcare stakeholders can be reported to the State Grievance Redressal Committee via email. Other initiatives taken by the state government in this regard, as claimed in the status report, include a committee for security audit of all medical colleges and the assigning of 1,113 dedicated woman constables for medical colleges and hospitals, among others.
(With IANS Inputs)