Doctors are put in the same position as god and some even worshiped as them, that is the kind of

positive influence doctors have on people. Saving people and giving them new lives, doctors
hold some really special place in a few people’s lives. But what happens when these doctors go
on a strike as they are worried for their own being and security because the government couldn’t
provide basic safety and security and cannot protect them.
a scenario like this is currently being noted in West Bengal. The whole incident started when a
75-year-old patient – Mohommed Sayeed was succumbed to illness in Nil Ratan Sircar College
and Hospital on Monday. Soon after admitting him to the hospital his relatives were informed
about his death to which the family alleged negligence in treatment and ended up misbehaving
and beating up a junior doctor.
Later that day when the family came to the hospital again to take the body home, the doctors
demanded an apology from the family which further led the breaking out of clashes between the
family and the doctors resulting in the injury of two interns (junior doctors) Paribha Mukherjee
and Yash Tekwani. Other doctors that witnessed the whole scene alleged that there were two
trucks loaded with people to attack them.
The events took a different turn when the West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee delayed her
address to the whole issue till Thursday. On Thursday, Abhishek Banerjee (Mamata Banerjee’s
nephew gave the first formal Trinamool Congress reaction to the whole situation. Later that day,
health secretary Rajiva Sinha issued an appeal to junior doctors to resume their services. Doctors
reaction to this was not positive, instead they described this as a hither curt letter.
On Thursday afternoon itself Mamata Banerjee served a four-hour ultimatum on junior doctors
asking them to either resume their services or be ready to be evicted from the college hostel.
Banerjee made explosive comments and even called the junior doctors “outsiders”. To prove that
the whole issue is political, she called it “an absolute conspiracy by BJP and CPM” against
which the doctors protested with slogans like “shame shame” or “we want justice”. Banerjee’s
ultimatum also led to mass resignations by doctors at several other hospitals.
noting the reaction of her audience, Banerjee made a softer appeal on the same day, saying “I
will be obliged and honored if you take care of the hospitals… the hospitals must run smoothly
and peacefully”.
Even The West Bengal Governor – Keshare Nath Tripathi – on Thursday made an appeal to the
junior doctors to resume their duties.
The strikes snowballed into the nation. On Friday afternoon doctors in majority went on a protest
for which they also wore black bands.
Mukul Roy a prominent BJP leader hinter a communal narrative and said that people of a certain
community might have initiated the attacks. He also visited the doctors and offered to stand by
them for support.
While the doctors were protesting against the government, the patients were suffering without
the doctors, leading to the families of the suffering patients to protest and confront against the
doctors. This led to the blocking of the roads in North Bengal and complete shutdown of medical
services.
Keeping the whole scenario in mind the Indian Medical Association is likely to send an appeal to
the PM and the union of Home ministry protection demanding a stringent “central hospital
protection act” to protect the doctors. Even the supreme court has agreed to release a public
interest litigation over the safety and security of the doctors in government hospitals across the
country.