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KOLKATA: Bengal's healthcare system stared at an imminent collapse on Friday with more than 700 government-employed doctors tendering resignations in an unprecedented show of solidarity with their striking junior colleagues.The government appeared rudderless for most part of the day, with CM Mamata Banerjee - who had been belligerent during her visit to the SSKM on Thursday - maintaining a studied silence. Things started to change, however, towards the evening, with senior Trinamool leaders and ministers Partha Chatterjee and Firhad Hakim issuing conciliatory statements, condemning the attacks on doctors while pleading them to resume work.Live: Coverage of West Bengal doctors' strikeThe unprecedented number of resignations on a single day appears to have been triggered by the chief minister's response to the crisis on Thursday, when she issued an ultimatum at SSKM hospital, asking striking doctors to either return to work or face action. Undaunted by the threat, junior doctors intensified the stir, with many senior doctors also joining them to express support. The principal and vice-principal at NRS Medical College and Hospital resigned on Thursday, as did 21 senior doctors at the College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital on BT Road.On Friday, 107 doctors at RG Kar Medical College were the first to resign. Over the next hour or so, the resignations flew thick and fast: 100 from Medical College & Hospital, 175 from SSKM, 16 from Chittaranjan National Medical College, 100 from NRS Medical College & Hospital and 33 from the School of Tropical Medicine. Several heads of departments were among the senior doctors who had resigned.The state’s healthcare system has been in a coma since Tuesday, due to a cease-work by junior doctors demanding security at hospitals. On Friday, too, OPDs remained shut across government hospitals.