New Delhi: Disheartened over the Supreme Court’s (SC) directive asking West Bengal's junior doctors to resume duty following the state government's claim of a healthcare system collapse, resident doctors’ associations across India warn of reigniting a nationwide protest.
"The recent Supreme Court hearing regarding the brutal rape and murder of our colleague at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on the 9th of August has left us completely disheartened. We had hoped for a fair resolution to this horrific crime, but instead, the proceedings have taken a disappointing turn," the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) India said.
Waring the government with phase 2 of the agitation, the FORDA said that the amount of apathy shown by the West Bengal government towards "Justice For Abhaya" is horrendous.
"Instead of justice, every government and legal machinery is focused wrongly on the protest. We are planning an escalation with a possible phase 2 of this agitation. You (the government) cannot silence the collective voice of the medical fraternity,” the FORDA said.
It is not only the court's inaction but also the appalling defence put up by representatives of the West Bengal government led by Kapil Sibal, that has shocked us, it said.
"They are now resorting to petty tactics, citing false statistics and misleading the Supreme Court to diminish the legitimacy of our protest. These actions are not only disrespectful to the memory of Abhaya but also to the entire medical fraternity who stand united in this fight for justice," the FORDA said.
The association reiterated that health services in West Bengal have not collapsed as senior doctors continue to provide their services diligently.
"The portrayal of junior doctors as being responsible for deaths or disruptions in the hospitals is nothing but a deliberate attempt to discredit the movement. Instead of working to deliver justice swiftly, the state government machinery has only sought to diffuse the movement by requesting doctors to return to work. Even the judiciary has been complicit in this," the FORDA said.
To start phase 2 of the agitation, the FORDA has started its discussions with all stakeholder RDAs.
The Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of AIIMS in Delhi has called upon all resident doctors nationwide to join in the fight for justice.
"The recent turn of events - marked by a blatant disregard for the legitimate demands of resident doctors and the continued lack of progress in the investigation - has left us deeply disheartened. The government's attempt to shift the blame onto protesting doctors, instead of taking concrete actions, are unacceptable and serve only to erode the trust that was placed in the authorities," the RDA AIIMS said.
The All India Resident and Junior Doctors’ Joint Action Forum (AIJAF) has also called for a larger movement to intensify the demands for swift and exemplary punishment for the culprits.
"We urge the judiciary to prioritise this case and deliver justice promptly so that residents and doctors can find some measures of closure and the healthcare community can resume their vital work without the cloud of this tragedy hanging over them,” the AIJAF said.
