Kolkata rape murder: Three months into protests at RG Kar, patient count down by half

On Monday, aft a gathering with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the inferior doctors announced a withdrawal of their onslaught but said the “movement volition spell on”.

Over the past 3 months, arsenic the faceoff betwixt the doctors and the authorities continued, diligent attraction astatine RG Kar, the epicentre of the protests, took a large hit.

Data accessed by The Indian Express shows that portion RG Kar saw a regular mean of 5,106 patients successful the out-patient section and 256 successful the in-patient section successful July, the numbers for October fell to 2,362 (down 53%) and 122 (down 52%), respectively. Since July, the lowest footfall successful the OPD was successful August, erstwhile simply 2,044 patients walked into the OPD.

According to infirmary authorities, successful the week betwixt August 1 and 8, a full of 23,000 patients — a regular mean of 2,875 — visited the hospital’s OPDs. However, the diligent number successful the OPD fell to astir 100 aft the August 9 rape and murder, and fell to zero connected the greeting aft August 14-15, erstwhile a mob attacked the protesters and vandalised the hospital.

From August 22 — erstwhile the caller main Dr Manas Bandopadhyay took implicit — until the extremity of that month, astir 900 patients visited the infirmary daily.

Dr Bandopadhyay told The Indian Express, “Patient visits person gradually picked up. As of October 18, the regular footfall has reached 3,995 patients. Following the deployment of CISF information from August past week and the hospital’s announcement of enhanced information measures, diligent visits person gradually resumed.”

A elder authoritative successful the Health Department, however, admitted that the infirmary has a agelong mode to spell earlier diligent assurance is afloat restored. “If you spell done the numbers for IPD and large surgeries, you volition spot that adjacent aft the inferior doctors returned to enactment (on October 5) and contempt each this security, the assurance of the patients is inactive low. The transgression of August 9 and the vandalism of August 14 person decidedly affected the hospital.”

Like successful astir hospitals, the 700-odd inferior doctors astatine RG Kar signifier the backbone of the hospital. Emergency Medical Officer Tapas Pramanick said, “Junior doctors play a important relation successful OPDs and IPDs, including exigency and planned surgeries. They are precise important to the moving of these diligent services.”

Though elder doctors pitched successful by moving overtime, the little diligent number successful the OPD and IPD had a domino effect connected laboratory services and large surgeries, which excessively fell drastically successful this period.

While R G Kar’s labs registered a regular mean of 2,467 tests successful July, that fell to 928 successful August and further dropped to 518 successful September and to the lowest — 417 — successful October truthful far. Major surgeries, different indicator of diligent confidence, excessively took a deed successful the weeks since August 9 — from a regular mean of 48 successful July to a debased of 7 successful October truthful far.

While the diligent number is inactive acold from pre-August levels, the Emergency gathering and OPD proceed to beryllium overwhelmed with a changeless influx of patients. R G Kar Hospital, 1 of the oldest and biggest referral hospitals successful the city, caters to patients from Kolkata and districts successful South Bengal.

Since the August 9 incidental and the protests, determination has been a important constabulary beingness astatine the entrance, though introduction into the infirmary remains unrestricted. The CISF is successful complaint of information astatine cardinal areas specified arsenic the trauma ward, the Emergency administrative building, and different captious departments.

Authorities said the infirmary was gradually getting backmost connected track. A elder authoritative astatine R G Kar Medical College said, “Except the transgression country and the country other it, which was demolished, we person got support from some the CBI and the constabulary for renovation and restoration work. We person already installed 95% of CCTV cameras and started enactment connected constructing lavation rooms and remainder rooms arsenic per the guidelines of the Supreme Court. However, enactment connected the Emergency gathering that was vandalised connected August 14 is inactive pending due to the fact that it was planned that damages volition beryllium collected from those who are accused of this incident. So, we are estimating the full outgo of the renovation. Once we get a go-ahead from the court, we volition commencement indispensable enactment to renovate the Emergency building. Until then, Emergency services are being held successful adjacent departments.”

Her limb plastered, Anjura Bibi, successful her mid-thirties, struggles to get into an autorickshaw arsenic she heads location to Rajarhat, astir 10 km away, aft a post-surgery consultation.

Anjura had met with an mishap connected August 2 and was scheduled to acquisition an cognition connected her limb connected August 11. But the events of the past fewer months meant that she was yet operated upon lone successful the archetypal week of October. “We are mediocre and can’t spend attraction successful backstage hospitals. On August 16, my hubby brought maine present but things looked truthful atrocious present we decided to spell backmost home. Finally, I had an cognition successful the archetypal week of October… the doctors person been precise cooperative,” she says.