Greater than 24 hours after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached out for talks, protesting junior medical doctors on Sunday night agreed to satisfy her “with none preconditions”, and added that they might not finish their indefinite starvation strike earlier than the assembly as desired by her.
On Saturday, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant in an e mail to the West Bengal Junior Docs’ Entrance, which is spearheading the agitation, invited a delegation of 10 representatives for “45 minutes” talks with the chief minister on Monday 5 pm on the state secretariat Nabanna, conditional upon the “withdrawal of the starvation strike”.
Earlier than sending the invite for the talks, Pant, accompanied by Residence Secretary Nandini Chakraborty, visited Esplanade in Kolkata on Saturday afternoon and met the junior medical doctors on starvation strike for over two weeks. The junior medical doctors additionally spoke with the CM over the cellphone.
“We wish the talks to be held with none preconditions. Our representatives will attend the assembly on the specified time. We hope there shall be a significant dialogue. But when no answer is discovered within the assembly, then we’ll proceed with our pre-planned programme on Tuesday,” junior physician Debashis Halder stated after the overall physique assembly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myPBXTj9EWs
On Friday, the junior medical doctors had introduced to go on a statewide strike on Tuesday if the state authorities failed to satisfy their calls for by Monday.
“After 14 days, the chief secretary and the house secretary visited our starvation strike spot. We spoke to the chief minister over the cellphone. Whereas talking with the chief minister about our calls for, we felt that even after so lengthy protests, she didn’t know in regards to the 10-point demand or was not knowledgeable about them. We’re saddened and harm. So, now we have emailed the chief secretary detailing what we would like. If essential, we’ll speak about it once more tomorrow (Monday),” Halder stated.
“The result of the assembly will resolve in what type the agitation will proceed,” he added.
The junior medical doctors went on ‘stop work’ on August 9 within the wake of the rape and homicide of a trainee physician on the state-run RG Kar hospital in Kolkata. Their starvation strike commenced on October 5 after almost 50 days of ‘cease-work’ in two phases.
There have been a number of rounds of talks with the federal government over a number of points and calls for, starting from justice for the lifeless trainee physician to improved safety at hospitals and resignation of Well being Secretary N S Nigam. Whereas the federal government has assured to satisfy a few of their calls for, the junior medical doctors have been asking for his or her time-bound achievement.
On the allegations that junior medical doctors have been delaying the talks with the federal government, Halder stated, “We’re knowledgeable in regards to the time and place just one to 2 hours earlier than the assembly… We shouldn’t be blamed for this.”
On Sunday, the junior medical doctors’ starvation strike entered its sixteenth day. Halder expressed concern over the well being of the starvation strike contributors, noting that among the many eight of their colleagues at present fasting, three have been on quick since October 5, two since October 11, one since October 14, and two since October 15. Six different junior medical doctors on starvation strike have fallen critically sick and required hospitalisation.
Talking to the medical doctors over the cellphone on Saturday afternoon, the CM stated, “Everyone has the proper to protest, nevertheless it shouldn’t have an effect on healthcare companies. I might request you all to withdraw your quick.”
Banerjee additionally rejected the demand for the elimination of Nigam, explaining that “it isn’t attainable to take away everybody in a division directly… Please rise above politics and rejoin work.”
Along with Nigam’s elimination, which the chief minister has resisted, the junior medical doctors are demanding elections in medical faculties.
Banerjee requested extra time, citing upcoming Diwali celebrations and bypolls within the state.
Their different calls for embody establishing a centralised referral system for all hospitals and medical faculties, implementing a mattress emptiness monitoring system, and forming activity forces to make sure important provisions comparable to CCTV, washrooms at their workplaces. They’re additionally calling for elevated police safety in hospitals and the swift filling of vacant positions for medical doctors, nurses.
—with PTI inputs
