THE last shreds of the Trinamool government's dignity were stripped away during the chief minister's televised meeting with protesting junior doctors on October 21 to resolve the impasse stemming from the rape and murder of the student doctor at RG Kar Medical Hospital. In no uncertain terms, she declared her unwavering support for the perpetrators, past, present, and future. She even ensured that her brazen message of encouragement to these criminals was broadcast live.

This has emboldened the notorious “physician lobby of North Bengal”, a shadowy group of officials and doctors, operating within government-run hospitals that exerts unauthoried control over transfers, administrative decisions, and medical affairs, often circumventing established protocols. In truth, these so-called doctors owe their infamy to the Trinamool Congress, who cultivated this threat culture to facilitate rampant corruption and plunder in the state's healthcare system. Eradicating this threat is the last thing on the ruling party's agenda. The chief minister has unabashedly made her choice: she stands with the perpetrators, regardless of their crimes.

UNMET DEMANDS

The junior doctors' hunger strike had ten core demands. First and foremost, they demanded swift justice for all those directly or indirectly involved in the heinous assault on their colleague Abhaya. The state government has failed to meet this demand, leaving the matter to the CBI and the courts. Of the remaining nine demands, the Supreme Court has already issued various directives on six, which the administration is dragging its feet on implementing. The deadlock remains on the final three demands. The primary demand is the removal of the current health secretary, who not only acts as a bureaucrat but also as a ruling party leader. By not appointing a full-time health minister and instead empowering this obedient bureaucrat, the chief minister is deliberately fostering an environment of corruption. Under his watch, the state's healthcare system has witnessed the most horrific levels of corruption – the trade in counterfeit medicines, the recycling of biomedical waste, the smuggling of corpses, extortion in passing/failing exams, bribes for transfers, nepotism, the sale of jobs at exorbitant prices – the list is endless. The culture of intimidation and threats has reached its peak during his tenure. Every resident of the state has fallen victim to these wrongdoings.

The second demand calls for a thorough investigation into the pervasive corruption within the State Medical Council and the Health Recruitment Board. These bodies, responsible for overseeing healthcare professionals and recruitment, have been hijacked by the ruling party's criminal allies. The Medical Council, meant to address public complaints about medical negligence, is now controlled by those who exploit patients for financial gain. Similarly, the Health Recruitment Board, led by a politically connected individual with no administrative experience, has become a hub for selling jobs to the highest bidder, denying qualified candidates their rightful opportunities. This blatant disregard for rules and ethics has eroded public trust in these institutions. Therefore, it is imperative to dismantle and rebuild these bodies to ensure transparency, accountability, and justice for both healthcare professionals and the citizens of the state.

The third demand calls for a return to democracy within medical colleges. By reinstating elected student unions and resident doctors' associations, we can dismantle the current culture of extortion and intimidation. By restoring democratic spaces on campuses, we can foster resistance against this exploitative political culture, create a healthy learning environment, and empower students to speak out against the rampant corruption. The current practices of bribery in medical exams, the sale of counterfeit medications, and extortion schemes directly harm the public interest. Therefore, this third demand for elected student representation is, in essence, a demand of the people.

BEYOND THE STRIKE

In the two-hour meeting, the junior doctors exposed the chief minister's corruption-friendly stance to the public. Subsequently, they heeded the plea of Abhaya's parents and ended their hunger strike, relieving the public's anxiety. However, they also raised several pertinent questions. Instead of developing a public-oriented healthcare system, the Trinamool government has turned it into a den of corruption, leaving the entire system in shambles. Rather than strengthening the healthcare system by developing infrastructure and human resources with public funds, the government has adopted a policy of boosting the business and profits of corporate hospitals in the name of health insurance. The government desires a barely functional public healthcare system that lines the pockets of its leaders and ministers, while corporate hospitals share a portion of their increased profits with them. They want the broker system in hospitals to thrive, where ordinary poor people are forced to sell their belongings to pay brokers for beds, operations, blood tests, ECGs, ECOs, USGs, and appointments in government hospitals, with a cut of this money going to the leaders. The government's position is clear: this corruption will continue unabated, and they will not back down from their politics of intimidation and threats to ensure it.

On the other hand, the protesting doctors' organisations, along with workers, professionals, and intellectuals, are forming a united front that is gaining momentum. In various districts, local protests are joining forces and creating joint platforms. The civic movement is gradually spreading beyond cities and towns, reaching into rural areas. The participation of rural day labourers, small farmers, small business owners, women, and minorities is particularly noteworthy. These groups, though late to join, are now actively participating in the movement.

Leaders of the doctors' movement are also venturing beyond Kolkata, connecting with and supporting people's movements in different districts. As a result, the unprecedented, historic mass movement for justice for Abhaya that has emerged in West Bengal is poised to spread even more intensely among the broader population. It is only a matter of time. In addition to the core demands of the ongoing movement, other issues such as institutional corruption, misconduct, the politics of intimidation, overall women's safety, and the unmet demands of various sections of working people are also coming to the forefront of discussions. Despite the rulers’ attempts to suppress the people through fear and intimidation, they are no longer able to silence them. People are raising their voices and connecting their own demands with this movement. At this time, it is the priority of all democratic, well-meaning, and progressive forces to stand by the protesting people, to quickly support them when they are attacked, and to encourage them. We must do everything necessary to elevate this protest movement to a level of resistance. This is the demand of the times.