A clash took place between junior doctors and relatives of a patient at a state-run hospital around 11 pm on Monday night after the 75-year-old died due to alleged negligence. Scuffle between the doctors and patient party in the government run hospitals has been more or less a regular affair. Those who have the experience of attending to the patients in the night would testify that they have to run behind the doctors to save their patients.

Even some cases the doctors are found to be aggressors. A couple of years back two photo journalists gone to cover doctors’ agitation at Patna Medical College and Hospitals were brutally thrashed by the doctors. Their cameras were taken away. They had to treat by some private doctors at the initiative of the state administration.

In the latest clash that took place at N R S Medical College, Calcutta an intern was injured. In retaliation the doctors disrupted the regular services at the hospital. They sat on sit-in strike, demanding better security. On their part the relatives of the patients alleged that Mohammed Shahid, a resident of Tangra, died around due to lack of care of the doctors. Shahid's family members were also angry over a delay in handing over his body. Before the clash took place the family members of Shahid, had staged a protest alleging medical negligence on behalf of the doctor.

No rationale minded person would find fault with doctors demanding security. They must get it. A similar situation, relatives attacking the hospital, had erupted at CMRI in Calcutta. The government must ensure that doctors get protection but at the same time it must guarantee that patients get proper medi-care. While Shahid died some other persons attending to their patients alleged, "My patient is not receiving any treatment for the last three days. I am not allowed to enter the hospital."

The situation had not taken the worse turn if the senior BJP leader Mukul Roy maintained restrained. Roy, who till a year back was the second in command of Mamata, blamed the Trinamool Congress government for not taking prompt action as the patient's relative belonged to a Muslim community. Such remarks coming from a person like Mukul ought to be condemned. Just after the incident, Mamata Banerjee visited the hospital and asked the agitating junior doctors to get back to work. But some doctors indulged in the act of insulting her. Instead of politicizing the issue they should have argued and placed their views to her.

Being the chief minister she should have maintained some peace. But it can be denied that the doctors demonstrated their lumpen nature. Being aggrieved does not mean that the doctors have the right to insult Mamata. The way the issued rolled down it obviously impled that theses doctors were acting on behalf of the political parties inimical to her.

This belief is simply reinforced by the doctors’ protest acquiring a pan India character. WSe have seen in the past how it took very small time for the RSS and BJP to reach a small information from end of the country to the other end. What exposes the deep conspiracy against Mamata is the alacrity shown by some doctors’ organizations to spread out at all India bsis within 24 hours.

Interestingly the issues raised by them are different from the matter highlighted by the Calcutta doctors. They also claim that these issues were pending for long but no effort was made by the government to solve them. In this backdrop the question arises why then the choose this time to launch their protest. Their issues do not connect to Mamata. They could have chosen some other time to ventilate their grievances. As a matter of fact they have joined hands with the forces out to malign Mamata. It cannot be denied that they have playing the role of pawns in the hands of BJP.

Mamata had offered to listen to their grievances but sternly asked them to go back to work. She might have been tough but not playing with lives of thousands of patients. Being tough is not the crime. But the doctors agitating at the direction of some hidden forces refused to listen to her. They met Governor Kesari Nath Tripathi obviously with the intention to get his sympathy. No doubt this has been a shrewd move to politicise the issue.

Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP and the CPM of engineering the strike and playing "Hindu-Muslim politics". But she cannot escape the blame of aggravating the situation. What was the need for her saying that anybody who knows Bengali can live in Bengal. Probably she is not aware of the fact that most of the non-Bengalis residing in Bengal known better Bengali than others. Really it is intriguing why she intends to become the second Raj Thackeray? This remark of hers would alienate the non Bengalis who have been sympathetic to her.

A full-blown political war has started over the assault on the doctor and the subsequent strike. The IMA also owes an explanation why instead of taking the doctors into confidence and telling in clear words to refrain from anti-patients activities, they have encouraging them to resort to cease work. The seniors are aware that poor people of the country cannot go to Medanta and other super speciality hospitals. (IPA Service)