However, the Kolkata Police had ensured all it could to stop the protesters from breaching the vicinity of the state police headquarters. Until that is they couldn’t anymore.Nine-foot-long iron guard rails were used as barricades to stop the rally before it made its way to Lalbazar. These rails were strongly tied together with heavy chains and some parts were even welded to deter any chances of advancement.”Have you seen what they (Kolkata Police) are doing? Are they scared to meet us? To listen to our demands? They have almost built a fortress to keep us out. Shame on them! We are not moving an inch until our demands are fulfilled. We will stay here all day, all night. The commissioner has to resign,” a doctor participating in the protest was heard saying.”This is what the police are capable of doing? So much to stop us? Where was all of this when the mob vandalised the crime scene? Is it possible for someone to not know about the intensity of protest that gained such a large traction,” a senior doctor at the rally asked.The protesting doctors celebrated the arrest of RG Kar Hospital’s former principal Sandip Ghosh on Monday night. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Ghosh on grounds of financial irregularities in the medical institution after a two-week-long interrogation session.Patients in distressThe Supreme Court, after taking suo moto cognizance of the matter, had asked the nationwide protesting doctors last week to resume their work highlighting the importance of the nation’s health infrastructure. The apex court also assured that no coercive action would be taken against them once they re-join their duties.However, junior doctors in the recent protest had completely refused to re-join their duties until their demands are met. This had not only put patients in distress but also made it harder for them to consult or even get an appointment.”My mother is 80 years old. She has high BP and needs to be examined very frequently. I did not get a doctor’s appointment for two weeks after the current course of medicine was done. It was only prescribed for a month and I had to drag that beyond the recommended time. I was scared for her life every single second through those two weeks,” narrated a woman.”I fell down from my bike and hurt my head pretty bad. When I reached the emergency ward of the hospital, I had to wait for almost 15 minutes with my head bleeding before someone could attend to me. In the absence of doctors, even normal patients for regular checkups were in the ward. I really can’t blame them comsidering the situation,” said a 32-year-old engineer.The demand for emergency beds has skyrocketed in the absence of doctors refusing to keep their appointments leaving people with the only option of an emergency checkup or admission for even the smallest of issues.The protest has been a just one and the anger too is righteous, but swifter justice and returning doctors are both the need of the hour.
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