Enough is enough

THE ongoing protest by junior doctors in West Bengal, following the horrific rape and murder of a colleague, has garnered widespread attention and sympathy. Their demands for justice and safety in the workplace are entirely understandable. However, healthcare services cannot be paralysed indefinitely. Despite the Supreme Court’s clear directive to them to resume work by Tuesday evening, the doctors remain on strike, a month after the horrible crime.

Public service, particularly in the healthcare sector, carries a profound responsibility. The lives of countless patients depend on the availability of medical professionals, and the prolonged absence of these doctors has already caused significant disruption in healthcare. According to the state government, 23 patients have lost their lives and an astounding six lakh individuals have been denied essential treatment since the strike began. These statistics offer a sobering reminder of the real-world consequences of halting medical services. While the SC has expressed sympathy for the doctors’ concerns, it has rightly emphasised that protests should not be organised at the cost of duty. It has assured the doctors that safety measures, including installation of CCTV cameras and separate duty rooms for female staff, will be implemented in hospitals. The doctors must trust the judicial process and reciprocate by returning to work. Their continued absence not only compromises patient care, but it also erodes public trust in this noble profession.

The doctors’ refusal to comply with the SC order can lead to disciplinary action, including punitive transfers, as warned by the court. Their concerns over unsafe working conditions are valid and must be addressed, but prolonged defiance undermines justice itself. It is time for West Bengal’s doctors to return to their posts, allowing both healing and justice to proceed without further delay.