The ongoing fast unto death by junior doctors  in West Bengal has reached a crucial stage as it enters its 14th day, with the state administration making no meaningful moves to fulfill their ten-point demands, making the situation increasingly tense. Senior doctors are already showing solidarity, with several considering a more forceful position to fuel the campaign.

According to media sources, doctors are planning larger demonstrations and intensifying their protests. On Saturday, a procession will begin in Panihati and march to the hunger strike site, followed by a human chain at Salt Lake's Yuva Bharati Krirangan. Senior and junior doctors may work together, indicating greater mobilization in the healthcare community.

Dr. Utpal Banerjee, the protest organizer, expressed his dissatisfaction in a statement on Friday, adding, "None of us want to go on strike, but the administration refuses to budge." We are giving them until Monday to reconsider their position. If they don't, we may need to contemplate a full-fledged doctors ' strike." During a conference with junior doctors  on Thursday, Dr. Banerjee, the secretary of the Association of Health Service doctors  (AHSD), revealed that all medical groups indicated universal support for the junior doctors' demands.

In a public statement, junior doctors addressed the Chief Minister, posing the question, "How long must we starve before we receive a response from you?" The junior doctors, many of whom are on the verge of physical breakdown owing to the hunger strike, conveyed their anguish and despair. "We're just surviving on water. There is no ORS, salt, or sugar—only simple water. In a press release, they declared that in the near future, the tears from our eyes will suffice to sustain us. In an impassioned outburst, one junior doctor exclaimed, "We are her [the Chief Minister's] children, yet she remains indifferent to our plight."

Public support for the protest is also increasing. Ordinary residents will join junior doctors  in a "Justice March" from Panihati to Dharmatala on Saturday. Meanwhile, cultural workers hold continual sit-ins at Ranu Chhaya Mancha, performing plays, music, and poetry readings. The "Friends of Maidan" have scheduled another large rally for Saturday afternoon, where they will form a human chain from Ruby Hospital to Beleghata. Mohun Bagan and East Bengal football fans have dubbed the event a "Derby of Rebellion," with supporters from both sides joining the protest.

Despite these increased efforts, the government has remained mostly mute. The Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, met with Chief Secretary Manoj Panth on Thursday evening to examine the status of security measures in government hospitals, which was one of the doctors ' main requests. According to reports from the state secretariat, Nabanna, Banerjee requested regular meetings between medical college authorities, health secretaries, and public works department (PWD) officials to examine the status of infrastructure projects.

On Friday, Chief Secretary Manoj Panth held a two and a-half-hour marathon meeting with medical superintendents and principals from several government hospitals, where he evaluated security updates and structural improvements. Sources claim that the PWD has completed 96% of CCTV camera installations and 94% of illumination modifications in government hospitals. The PWD claims to have completed other renovations like lavatory and lounge construction.

Despite these changes, the state's deadline for completing this modification, October 15, has passed without a full settlement. The Chief Secretary should be investigating any remaining gaps in the implementation.

In the meantime, tensions between the state government and the medical community continues to rise. Many in Nabanna, the state secretariat, believe that the frequent meetings between the Chief Secretary and hospital authorities, as well as the detailed progress reports submitted to the government, are signs of increased pressure from the Supreme Court, which expects the state to submit a detailed report on hospital security measures.

As the protest reaches a crucial point, with junior doctors' health failing and public support growing, all eyes are on the government's response. Failure to meet the demands may result in a nationwide doctors' strike, paralysing the healthcare sector at a time when hospitals are already dealing with infrastructure and security difficulties. The clock is ticking, and Monday might be a turning moment in the protracted conflict.