Medic's rape-murder: Healthcare services affected in Bengal as doctors continue ceasework
Kolkata (PTI): Healthcare services were severely hit at state-run hospitals in West Bengal on Friday as junior doctors continued their ceasework for the 15th consecutive day to protest against the alleged rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH) here.
They decided to continue the stir despite the Supreme Court's appeal to them to resume work.
"Our protest will continue till we see the culprits punished. We are not here for anything else. We cannot call off the demonstration suddenly unless our demand is fulfilled," an agitating doctor at the RGKMCH told PTI.
The Supreme Court on Thursday reiterated its appeal to the doctors protesting over the rape and killing of the medic to resume work and directed that no coercive action would be taken against them.
The court said judges and doctors cannot strike since they deal with matters involving life and liberty.
The flow of patients at the different government hospitals seemed to dry up as the ceasework by junior doctors continued.
"For the last couple of days, the number of patients has decreased even though our senior doctors are attending outpatient departments (OPDs) and emergency units. This is because people are aware of the agitation of junior medics," a senior doctor of the SSKM Hospital said.
Notably, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is conducting a probe into the alleged rape and murder of the woman doctor in the state-run hospital.
Apart from demanding justice for the woman medic, the junior doctors have been pressing for the removal of several officials in the RGKMCH's administration.
The state government had transferred three officials of the RGKMCH and cancelled the posting of the hospital's former principal Sandip Ghosh to the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital (CNMC).
State health secretary NS Nigam, while announcing the decision, urged the doctors to resume work as it was affecting the healthcare services badly.
On August 9, the police recovered the body of the woman postgraduate trainee doctor from the seminar hall of the RGKMCH.
A civic volunteer was arrested the next day for his alleged involvement in the crime.
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Austrian police detain suspect in case of rat poison found in baby food jars on supermarket shelves
Vienna (AP): Police in eastern Austria say a 39-year-old suspect has been arrested after rat poison turned up in some HiPP baby food jars on supermarket shelves in central Europe.
HiPP, which recalled some of its baby food jars in Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic after the case came to light last month, said in a statement Saturday it was “greatly relieved” by the arrest, and would provide further updates as verified details come in.
The Burgenland State Criminal Police Office, under the direction of prosecutors, said a probe was launched after poison turned up in a baby food jar purchased at a supermarket in the city of Eisenstadt on April 18.
It said the suspect was being questioned, and that no further details would be immediately provided. The Burgenland public prosecutor's office has announced an investigation into suspected “intentional endangerment of the public.”
The Austrian Press Agency reported that an expert report on the toxicity of the poison was pending. A total of five tampered baby food jars were seized before they could be consumed, APA reported.
Authorities said previously they believe the tampering occurred in 190-gram (6.7-ounce) jars of baby food made with carrots and potatoes for 5-month-olds that were sold from SPAR supermarkets in Austria.
HiPP responded by recalling all of its baby food jars sold at SPAR supermarkets — which include SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR and Maximarkt stores — in Austria as a precaution. Vendors in Slovakia and the Czech Republic also removed all of the brand's baby jars from sale.
The company said the recall was not due to any product or quality defect on its part, and said the jars left its facility in “perfect condition.”
Police said a customer at the time of the discovery had reported that a jar appeared to have been tampered with, but no one had consumed the baby food.
