Mamata Banerjee urges doctors to end hunger strike, promises resolution of demands
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In an effort to resolve the standoff with protesting junior doctors, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged them to call off their hunger strike, assuring that most of their demands had been addressed and that the remaining issues would be resolved soon, except for one.
Banerjee's request came during a phone conversation on Saturday with the doctors, some of whom have been on a fast-unto-death protest since October 5 in Kolkata’s Esplanade area.
The junior doctors, who had issued an ultimatum to the state government, threatened to launch a strike across all government and private hospitals by Tuesday if their demands were not met by Monday. Their demands include increased security at hospitals, installation of CCTV cameras, elections for councils in hospitals and medical colleges, and the removal of Health Secretary NS Nigam.
The protests were sparked by the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
During her call, Banerjee expressed willingness to meet the doctors on Monday but ruled out the removal of the health secretary. She also emphasized that the protests should not disrupt healthcare services.
"Most of your demands have been fulfilled, and I need three to four months to address the remaining ones," Banerjee said, explaining that the process for holding elections in hospitals would need to wait until after the festival season. She also noted the rise in private hospital earnings due to the state’s health insurance program, Swasthya Sathi, and urged the doctors to return to work and engage in further discussions.
Before Banerjee's phone call, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty had visited the protest site to initiate dialogue with the fasting doctors. In response to the chief minister's outreach, the junior doctors reiterated their demand for a formal discussion and the implementation of all their requests.
The protesting doctors have also planned a large rally on Sunday to further press for their demands.