It's the 13th day of the indefinite hunger strike by junior doctors of West Bengal in Kolkata. The fast that began on October 5 continues despite six doctors being hospitalised after their health conditions started becoming critical.
Currently, there are eight medics who are on an indefinite hunger strike.
These doctors have been demanding justice for Abhaya, the deceased doctor who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, on August 9. They are also asking for better safety and security for healthcare professionals. They are also demanding the immediate removal of state Health Secretary NS Nigam.
Their other demands are CCTV, on-call rooms and washrooms at hospitals, including medical colleges and institutes; launching a bed vacancy monitoring system; a centralised referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges in West Bengal and so on.
Vacant positions for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers to be filled as soon as possible; increased police protection in hospitals, recruitment of permanent women police personnel and so on are also their demands, stated a report by PTI.
Today, a mass signature collection has been called for by the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front to support their 10-point demand.
