Bengal: TMC MP Mocks Doctors' Hunger Strike As 'Fast-Unto-Hospitalisation' As Stalemate Continues On Day 10

West Bengal: TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee criticised junior doctors' hunger strike, accusing them of faking it for media attention and hospital admission. The strike, now in its 10th day, has met with no resolution.

File Photo of TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee | A doctor takes blood sample from a junior doctor at the site of a hunger strike where she and others continued their protest over the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor, in Kolkata, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024.

Source : PTI

Senior TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee on Monday criticised the junior doctors on hunger strike in West Bengal, accusing them of lacking the resolve for a genuine hunger strike and turning their fast-unto-death into what he termed a "fast-unto-hospitalisation." Banerjee mocked the protestors, suggesting that their hunger strike began at the protest venue and ended at the hospital. The agitation started following the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on 9 August, and has since evolved into a broader call for justice and improved conditions in the healthcare sector.

"What kind of hunger strike is this? It starts from the protest venue and ends once they get hospitalised. The hunger strike that we know is a fast-unto-death, not a fast-unto-hospitalisation. What these doctors are doing is a fast-unto-hospitalisation. Do they have just this much fire in their belly?" he questioned, as quoted by news agency ANI.

Banerjee further implied that the protesters' main objective was to attract media attention and seek hospital admission within a day or two of starting their protest. "Just the day before yesterday, I saw one of the doctors join the fast and get admitted to a hospital the next day. Such tricks are being employed to gain media attention," he added.

Responding to the TMC MP’s remarks, protesting doctor Debashish Haldar remarked, "It seems he wants the doctors on hunger strike to die while protesting."

West Bengal Junior Doctors' Hunger Strike Enters Day 10, No Resolution In Sight Despite Meeting With Govt

The hunger strike by junior doctors in West Bengal, which began on 5 October, entered its 10th day on Monday with no resolution in sight, despite a crucial meeting between the doctors and the state government.

According to PTI, a meeting between representatives from 12 doctors' associations and Chief Secretary Manoj Pant at Swasthya Bhavan ended without a breakthrough. The doctors sought a clear timeline from the state government to address their demands, but PTI sources suggested that the administration was unwilling to commit to any deadlines. Dr. Kaushik Chaki, president of the West Bengal Doctors' Forum, said, "We requested the state government to send someone—preferably the highest-ranking official—to engage with the young doctors who are fasting. However, the Chief Secretary indicated that he could not provide any deadlines."

Pant, addressing reporters after the meeting, stated that seven out of the 10 demands raised by the junior doctors had already been met, while the remaining three required further administrative review. "For the remaining three demands, they were requesting specific timelines. These are administrative decisions that the state needs to consider, so we cannot provide a deadline at this point," he said. He urged the protesting doctors to end their strike, expressing concern for their wellbeing.

Currently, seven junior doctors remain on a 'fast-unto-death'. On Monday, the health of two more doctors deteriorated, with Pulastha Acharya from NRS Medical College admitted to the Critical Care Unit (CCU) on Sunday night after experiencing severe stomach pain, according to PTI's report. A senior doctor at the hospital confirmed, "Pulastha is in the CCU and his parameters have deteriorated. We have formed a medical board to treat him." Another junior doctor, Tanya Panja from Kolkata Medical College, showed declining health and remains under observation at the protest site.

The junior doctors' hunger strike began after nearly 50 days of 'cease work' in two phases. Their demands include justice for the RG Kar Hospital victim, the removal of Health Secretary N S Nigam, improved workplace security, and better infrastructure like on-call rooms, CCTV, and proper washrooms. On Monday evening, the protesting doctors held a rally to Raj Bhawan, where they submitted a memorandum to the Governor, demanding a swift and transparent CBI probe into the alleged rape-murder of their colleague.

Adding to the political tensions, senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari called for a boycott of the TMC government's 'Durga Puja Carnival' in solidarity with the junior doctors' protest. Meanwhile, the state government expressed concerns over the planned 'Droher Carnival' demonstration by the Joint Platform of Doctors (JPD) on 15 October, as it would coincide with the annual Durga Puja celebrations.