'Seize Work Now Part Of Threat Culture': TMC's Kunal Ghosh After Bengal Doctors Threaten To Resume Strike

Regarding the brutal rape and murder of a trainee medic at Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said the accused was arrested by Kolkata Police within 24 hours of the case surfacing.

As junior doctors in West Bengal threatened to resume their strike, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kunal Ghosh criticised the 'cease work' call, describing it as part of a growing "threat culture." He also expressed concern that such protests would disproportionately affect the poor, forcing them to seek treatment at private hospitals.

Ghosh highlighted that the core issue behind the junior doctors' protest is the demand for 'Justice for Abhaya or Tillotama,' referring to the recent brutal rape and murder of a trainee medic at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital. He assured the doctors of his party's support in seeking justice. He added that the accused in the case was arrested by Kolkata Police within 24 hours of the incident coming to light.

"The investigation is now in the hands of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the case is with the Supreme Court. Yet, the junior doctors are once again talking about ceasing work. Poor and ordinary people rely on government hospitals for treatment, so this call for a 'cease work' action has become part of a larger threat culture. It will harass poor people and force them to seek expensive private treatment," Ghosh was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

Bengal Doctors Announce 'Total Cease Work' After Sagore Dutta Hospital Assault

The latest development follows an incident in which a mob attacked three doctors and three nurses at the College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital near Kolkata on Friday night, after the death of a patient.

The medical staff have claimed that the attack underscores the state government’s failure to fulfil its promise of providing security to doctors.

"The state government has totally failed in providing us with safety and security, which is why the attack at Sagore Dutta Hospital occurred. We are giving the state some time and expect to hear their submission regarding our safety during the Supreme Court hearing on Monday. If there is no satisfactory response, we will begin a total 'cease work' from 5 PM across all hospitals in Bengal," one junior doctor told PTI.

The doctor also mentioned that previous meetings with the Chief Minister and Chief Secretary had not been taken seriously. "How can family members of patients threaten one of our female colleagues with a repetition of what happened at RG Kar Hospital? We no longer feel secure in hospitals and have lost all hope in the state government," he added.

Depending on the Bengal government's submission in the Supreme Court hearing on Monday, junior doctors may decide whether to go ahead with the "total cease work" strike, the doctor said.