National Desk
21 October
Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
Protesting junior doctors in West Bengal met with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to resolve the deadlock following the rape and murder of a female doctor at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata. After a two-hour meeting, the doctors agreed to withdraw their strike, which had affected hospitals across the state. The meeting, held at the State Secretariat ‘Nabanna’, was broadcast live for the first time and occurred on the 17th day of a hunger strike by some doctors.
During the discussions, Banerjee addressed their concerns, including the ‘threat culture’ in government hospitals. She assured that most of their demands had been considered, though she refused to remove the state health secretary. Banerjee also raised concerns about the suspension of medical students and junior doctors at RG Kar College, emphasizing that due process had not been followed.
One protesting doctor had to be hospitalized after five days of fasting and criticized those suspended, claiming they were part of an intimidation culture and unfit to be in the medical field.