Kolkata
Over 100 senior doctors resigned from two major medical colleges and hospitals in West Bengal on Wednesday. The doctors expressed support for junior colleagues protesting the rape and murder of a junior doctor in August. The junior doctors have been holding a fast-unto-death protest.
At Calcutta Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata, 70 senior doctors, including faculty members, resigned in the afternoon. A similar resignation occurred at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri, Darjeeling district, although the exact number of resignations is unknown, sources indicated it will be no less than 40.
It was reported that senior doctors at Midnapore Medical College & Hospital in West Midnapore district were preparing to resign later in the day. On Tuesday, 50 senior doctors at R.G. Kar Hospital also resigned, including members of the faculty.
The doctors are concerned about the safety of their junior colleagues, who have been fasting at Esplanade in Kolkata. They urged the state government to act before the situation worsens. One senior doctor expressed worry about the prolonged protests and the government’s lack of action in addressing the issue.
The resigning doctors indicated that if needed, individual resignations would be submitted later. They stressed that responsibility for any harm to the junior doctors must be addressed by the state.
