The junior doctors protesting the RG Kar rape-murder case are set to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday in hopes of resolving the ongoing crisis. However, they have vowed to continue their hunger strike until the meeting takes place, with their future course of action dependent on its outcome.
On Saturday, Chief Minister Banerjee urged the junior doctors to end their fast, stating that most of their demands have been met, except for the removal of the health secretary. Chief Secretary Manoj Pant has invited the doctors for a 45-minute discussion with Banerjee at the state secretariat, conditional upon the withdrawal of the hunger strike. Nonetheless, the doctors remain resolute in their decision to maintain the strike until the meeting occurs.
The medics are also insisting on the removal of Health Secretary N. S. Nigam as a key condition for resolving the impasse. Debasish Halder, one of the protesting doctors, expressed serious concern for the health of those participating in the hunger strike and confirmed that they would not attend the meeting.
Halder noted that the junior doctors have consistently attended meetings called by the state government, often with little notice, but have yet to achieve a satisfactory resolution.
During a phone conversation on Saturday, Banerjee acknowledged the doctors’ right to protest but urged them to reconsider their fast, emphasizing that it should not compromise healthcare services. She also rejected the call for Nigam’s removal, explaining that it’s not feasible to remove everyone in a department simultaneously, while highlighting that they have already made other administrative changes.
The outcry follows the tragic rape and murder of a junior doctor on August 9 inside the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, which has sparked widespread outrage among medical professionals regarding safety and working conditions in healthcare facilities.
