NEW DELHI: The agitating doctors decided to call off their ‘fast-unto-death’ strike after 16 days after meeting with the Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday.
The meeting which was live streamed, lasted for more than two hours and witnessed discussions on several demands of the protesting doctors in RG Kar rape and murder case, including the prevailing “threat culture” in the state’s hospitals.
“At RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, several junior doctors and medical students were suspended without following proper procedures and rules. How can these students or resident doctors be suspended just on the basis of complaints? Who gave the college authorities the right to take such a step without informing the state government? Isn’t this a threat culture?” the chief minister said.
The junior doctors had been on a hunger strike for the past 17 days, seeking justice for the deceased colleague and advocating for systemic changes in the state’s healthcare infrastructure.
So far, six doctors have been hospitalized due to health issues as a part of the hunger strike.
Regarding the demand for the removal of health secretary Nigam, which the chief minister has resisted, she protested against labeling him as an accused of fostering a “threat culture” without concrete evidence.
“You cannot call a person accused without any concrete proof. First, you have to provide evidence; then you can call a person accused,” she said. To this, an agitating doctor responded, “A person can be called accused as per law until he or she is proven guilty.”
The protesting doctors were joined by colleagues from across West Bengal and had threatened to escalate their actions by organizing a strike of all medical professionals on October 22 if their demands are not addressed.
They began a ‘cease-work’ action on August 9 following the alleged rape and murder of their colleague at RG Kar Hospital, transitioning to a hunger strike on October 5 after nearly 50 days of ‘cease-work’ in two phases.