Kolkata rape-murder: Talks between agitating junior docs, Bengal govt fail to break ice

Kolkata, Oct 10 (PTI) Agitating junior doctors, whose nine representatives are on a fast-unto-death demonstration, termed talks with senior officials of the West Bengal government as “the most disappointing meeting so far”.

After coming out of the Wednesday night meeting, which lasted for over two hours, the protesting doctors alleged they received nothing concrete from the state except “verbal assurances” since the government refused to issue written directives on their demands to ensure a “thorough clean-up” of the state healthcare system and step up their safety and security within medical college campuses.

“At a time when our friends are sitting in protest without a drop of food in their stomachs for over four days now, the government told us they will think about our demands in the third week of October after the Pujas are over. We never expected such insensitivity and inflexibility from the state,” Debasish Halder, a junior doctor, told reporters after exiting the meeting.

The doctors responded to a meeting invitation from Chief Secretary Manoj Pant in the wake of the ongoing hunger strike of the junior doctors who have put forward a 10-point charter of demand and over 200 senior doctors across state-run hospitals submitting their resignations en masse in solidarity during the festive season in the state.

Doctors at the state-run medical colleges have been on a war path against the state for over two months now since the gruesome rape and murder of a medic at RG Kar Hospital came to light on August 9.

While some 20 representatives from medical colleges across the state attended the meeting at Swasthya Bhawan, the state health department headquarters in Salt Lake, the state was represented, besides the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary Nandini Mukherjee and DGP Rajeev Kumar, among others.

“The CS parroted exactly what he said at a press conference on Tuesday on the progress that the state has made so far in terms of implementing the safety and security measures in campuses and not a word more. About the rest of our demands, the government refused to issue any written directive or even provide a timeline for their implementation.

“It is clear that the state lacks the necessary political will to cure the real ailments which continue to plague our public healthcare system,” Halder said.

Among their demands, the stirring medics have called for the removal of state Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam, initiating inquiries against those accused of perpetuating a "threat culture" in campuses, holding student body and Resident Doctors Association (RDA) elections on campuses, replacement of civic volunteers with full-time police personnel as security forces in hospitals and filling up of vacant posts of doctors, nurses and healthcare workers.

“The CS said he was not in a position to discuss the removal of the health secretary. He maintained that the student union and RDA elections will take time only after proper ground assessment is made. He said the government could start thinking about making those assessments only after the Pujas got over. This he said despite knowing that the lives of our friends keep hanging on the balance,” another doctor alleged.

The agitating doctors had on October 4 called off their "total cease work", which had crippled healthcare services at state-run medical colleges and hospitals, but went on their indefinite hunger strike two days later as the state allegedly failed to act upon its previous assurances to the protestors’ satisfaction.

“On what basis will we withdraw the fast,” a medic questioned after the meeting and added, “All this was a big drama enacted by the government." Asked what they would do if the health conditions of the fasting doctors deteriorated further, she said: “You should ask that question to the government, not us.” PTI