Medicos in Bengal cease work

Kolkata, May 17 (UNI) Junior doctors in four medical colleges in West Bengal today began ceasework while medicos in two more institutions decided to go for strike from tomorrow in protest against the Centre's move to increase the OBC quota in higher educational institutions.

Official reports said the ceasework was going on in Calcuta Medical College and Hospital, Bankura Medical College, Bardhaman Medical College and North Bengal Medical College, except in the emergency wards.

Junior doctors of the city's National Medical College and Hospital and SSKM Hospital announced in the evening to join the agitation.

With the junior doctors staying away from work, services to patients, particularly in the outdoor greatly suffered.

Long queues of patients were seen in front of the outdoor department of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital as the senior doctors took the brunt of the rush.

Stepping up their agitation against the increase in reservation quota, medical students and junior doctors staged a demonstration and put up road block in the city's busy Esplanade area yesterday.

They also burnt Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and HRD Minister Arun Singh in effigy.

About 2,500 students and junior doctors from different medical colleges and their mates from the elite institutions participated in the agitation yesterday. They handed over a memorandum to the Governor's office.

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