Bengal's healthcare crisis reveals deeper issues in the political system

It reveals more than dysfunction; it unveils a clash of ideologies

About a hundred metres from Swasthya Bhaban, the headquarters of West Bengal’s health department in Salt Lake, the protest ground of junior doctors has taken centre stage in state politics.

The walls in the area, covered in graffiti, scream for ‘justice’. Slogans like ‘Swasthya Bhaban safai koro’ (clean up the health department) rend the air. People from different walks of life — teachers, technology employees, doctors, homemakers — gather in solidarity.

A sense of irreverence hangs heavy.

On Saturday, the mood shifted dramatically when West Bengal Chief Minister (CM) Mamata Banerjee made an unexpected visit to the protest site. She urged the doctors to return to work and asked for time to address their demands.

However, a later attempt at resolving the impasse failed over the junior doctors’ demand to livestream or videograph the meeting proceedings. When they eventually agreed to accept a signed copy of the minutes of the meeting instead, the meeting was called off.

Junior doctors in West Bengal have been on strike for the past 36 days, protesting the alleged rape and murder of a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. They are also demanding a clean-up of the state’s health care system.

Despite a Supreme Court (SC) directive to return to work by 5 pm on September 10, the doctors have continued their strike.

Around 7,500 junior doctors across the state are on cease-work, which has severely affected health care services. Both government and private health care workers acknowledge the critical role junior doctors play in hospitals.

The state government and the Trinamool Congress have repeatedly highlighted the widespread disruption in services.

During a SC hearing on September 9, the Bengal government outlined the disruptions facing the health care system due to mass absentions by resident doctors across the state.

At a press conference on Thursday, Banerjee said that over 700,000 patients have been denied treatment.

On Friday, she posted on X: “It is sad and unfortunate that we have lost 29 precious lives due to disruption in health services caused by the long-drawn cease work by junior doctors. To extend a helping hand to the bereaved families, the state government announces a token financial relief of Rs 2 lakh to the families of each deceased person.”

The ruling party has consistently described the plight of the common man affected by the protests.

So, what are the junior doctors’ demands?

Their five-point charter includes the removal of the Kolkata Police Commissioner, the health secretary, the director of health services, and the director of medical education, in addition to justice for the RG Kar victim.

A junior doctor, who requested anonymity, said, “The threat culture in medical colleges and hospitals must end.”

On Saturday evening, the junior doctors’ demands received a shot in the arm as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. He was reportedly charged with tampering with evidence and delaying the filing of an FIR in the case of the rape and murder of the junior doctor at RG Kar.

The officer in charge of Tala Police Station, under whose jurisdiction RG Kar falls, has also been arrested. Until now, the only arrest related to the crime was a civic volunteer.

Ghosh had previously been arrested for alleged financial irregularities by the CBI.

Late that night, the junior doctors suggested that the cancellation of the meeting with Banerjee may have been triggered by news of Ghosh and the police officer’s arrests reaching the CM’s residence.

Leader of Opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Legislative Assembly Suvendu Adhikari also posted on X, claiming the meeting was cancelled because Banerjee was demoralised by the arrests.

As the deadlock continues, more protests continued on Sunday. The junior doctors have drummed up support from senior doctors and citizens, as the brutal rape and murder at RG Kar highlights an alleged health care syndicate run by an influential ‘North Bengal lobby’.

“This is a mass movement. The Left ecosystem is being revived through music, slogans, and street art,” said Mohammed Salim, Communist Party of India (Marxist) West Bengal state secretary. He added, “The format and content of the protest are unfamiliar to the current government, which is attempting to create divisions between doctors and patients.”

As health care services remain disrupted, questions arise: Will this situation deepen existing fault lines in Bengal?

Government hospitals in Kolkata serve as referral centres for district hospitals, meaning many of those affected by the junior doctors’ absence are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Political observers believe the ongoing stalemate may lead to deeper fissures in the state.

Political analyst Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury observed, “The protest movement is largely concentrated in the city, districts, and sub-divisional towns, led by the middle class. But government hospital users are primarily the poor and subaltern. This disparity may cause further grievances.”

Abhirup Sarkar, former professor of economics at the Indian Statistical Institute, explained that Banerjee’s policies are focused on the economically backward. “The junior doctors’ protest is depriving these groups of health care.

“The Bengali middle class, who never fully embraced Banerjee’s policies, are now expressing their deep-seated frustration by spilling out on to the streets,” he added.

Political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty believes the tension between the middle class and Banerjee’s welfare-driven politics is likely to persist in Bengal.

Regarding the compensation announcement for families of those affected by the health care strike, he said, “It serves a dual purpose: Banerjee is connecting with her voter base while also mounting pressure on the junior doctors.”

The coming days and weeks will determine just how deep these divisions will run.