The cease-work has been called off by the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front (WBJDF), and the junior doctors have resumed their duties, but their fight for justice for Abhaya persists via service. Abhaya (name changed) is the 31-year-old postgraduate trainee (PGT) doctor who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
After Abhaya clinics on roads and flood relief camps, the resident doctors have set up Abhaya classrooms to support the junior doctors. EdexLive learnt that the classrooms were set up at these medical colleges:
- RG Kar Medical College and Hospital
- Malda Medical College
- Medical College Kolkata (MCK)
- Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research and Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital (SSKM)
According to a video shared by the Facebook page Justice for Abhaya, it is observed that around five resident doctors were seen tutoring over 20 undergraduate (UG) medical students.
Giving more details about it, a PG student from MCK, Madhurima Kumar, said, "These classrooms have been set up for two weeks. The respective colleges' third- and fourth-year students are taking clinical classes for their juniors regarding how one approaches a particular disease and its diagnosis."
Disclosing the motive behind the movement, Kumar said, "This has been done to involve the juniors in the fight for justice for Abhaya actively."
An MBBS doctor, Dr Abhinaba Pal, said, "Even though the doctors have resumed duties and emergency services, the classes, especially clinical classes, are yet to be resumed completely."
"Doctors are hesitant to get back to normalcy due to fear. Adding to this is the verbal assurance of the chief secretary, Dr Manoj Pant, about the measures to combat threat culture and initiate other measures," Pal said, adding their dread of things returning to normal has increased due to accusations of corruption against a number of faculty members, including the claim that they support the "threat culture" in West Bengali medical circles.
Kumar further emphasised that the protest in the form of Abhaya classrooms, clinics, flood relief camps and other such activities will continue till justice is served to the deceased doctor. Notably, these services rendered by the resident doctors or final-year students are voluntary and are done after their duty hours.
