Kolkata: The West Bengal government has granted the majority of the demands made by the trainee doctors who have been staging protests outside of Swasthya Bhawan in Kolkata over the RG Kar hospital rape and murder case. The trainee doctors have stated that they will "partially" end their strike and resume working at emergency and essential services in state-run hospitals on Saturday. The doctors who have been on strike for the past forty-one days said that they will no longer provide their services to the government hospitals' outpatient departments (OPD).
“Will rejoin emergency, essential services partially at state-run hospitals in Bengal from Saturday. Will take necessary steps to provide medical relief to flood-affected people in Bengal," said the agitating doctors.
"We will not work in the Out Patient Department (OPD) but will work partially in emergency and essential services, " they said.
The doctors said that they would march to the CBI office at the CGO Complex in the Salt Lake area from Swasthya Bhawan, the state health department headquarters.
"We will wait for a week for implementation of all the promises made by the West Bengal government and if unfulfilled, we will resume 'cease work'," the doctors said, adding that their fight for justice has not ended.
Junior doctors continued their protest at Swasthya Bhawan earlier in the day after a second round of negotiations between the Chief Secretary and irate junior doctors failed to give positive results, the New Indian Express reported.
At the protest site in front of the building, protesters were observed taking down tents, bamboo sticks and pedestal fans. Protesters said that decorators, who had installed fans for them, were removing them because of "external pressure.”
“It could be an effort to demoralise us,” said a junior doctor. “But we would like to clearly say that for a protest, we don’t need all this. We can protest from anywhere and in any possible way.”
Following a six-hour meeting with government officials on Wednesday night, the junior doctors declared their intention to continue their protest and cease work. The doctors voiced disappointment that their demands were left out of the conference minutes, even after the government gave them verbal asurances.