New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday urged medical professionals all over the nation to go back to work, assuring resident doctors and interns that they would face no consequences for taking part in demonstrations following the horrifying event at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, where a junior doctor was allegedly sexually assaulted and killed earlier this month.
A bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud directed the protesting medical community to return to work and promised that the doctors would face no repercussions for their actions.
“Ask them first to return to work. Once they return to work, nobody is going to take adverse action against the doctors. Let them first come back to work, and then, if there is any difficulty, we will make sure that no adverse action is taken against the doctors,” said the Bench, also comprising Justices JB Padriwala and Manoj Misra, adding that “the poor people coming to hospital cannot be left behind in the lurch.”
It said, “They (patients) take appointments two years back, and suddenly told that they will not be attended. Let all doctors resume work. Please rest assured that once the doctors resume duty, then we will prevail upon the authorities to not take any adverse action. How does public health infrastructure run if doctors will not resume work?”
The top court was informed during the suo moto case hearing on the “Alleged rape and murder incident of a trainee doctor in R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, and related issues” that the administration of various hospitals across the country had taken various punitive measures against the protesting doctors, such as placing the doctors on leave and deducting casual leaves.
The CJI Chandrachud-led Bench advised doctors and other medical professionals throughout the country to return to work as soon as possible.
“Since this court is seized of the matter pertaining to the safety and well-being of all medical professionals at their workplaces, and the issue involving high national priority, we will request all the doctors who are abstaining from work to resume work at the earliest,” it said, adding that medical community stand assured that their concerns are receiving the highest attention of the Supreme Court.
On Tuesday, the Court ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a status report detailing the investigation’s progress within two days and the state government to file a status report regarding the vandalisation of the hospital premises.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Centre issued an office memorandum constituting a National Task Force (NTF) under the chairmanship of the Union Cabinet Secretary in compliance with the apex court directive.
The NTF, which has been tasked with formulating effective recommendations regarding the safety, working conditions, and well-being of medical professionals, will submit to the Supreme Court an interim report within three weeks and the final report within two months.
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–IANS
