KOLKATA: Junior doctors protesting the RG Kar hospital rape-murder rejected on Tuesday the Bengal govt’s invitation to discuss their grievances with a designated team at the state secretariat and decided to continue their strike in defiance of the 5pm deadline Supreme Court had set for them to return to work.
The Mamata Banerjee govt’s message to West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF) was sent out around 6pm, by which time the doctors had already shifted the protest from their respective medical college campuses to Swasthya Bhavan, the state health department’s headquarters in Kolkata’s Salt Lake.
Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said the CM waited at Nabanna, the secretariat, until 7.30pm for representatives of the junior doctors to turn up.
The junior doctors said they felt “humiliated” by the manner in which the invite had been sent “and its language”. “The mail was sent to WBJDF by the very person (health secretary) whose resignation we are demanding,” said Debasish Haldar, a junior doctor at Medical College Hospital. “The message addressed us as ‘Sir’. Let me tell govt that many madams, too, are part of this cease-work.”
Another point of contention was the number of representatives govt had invited. “Why only 10 delegates? Representatives of all medical colleges must be allowed to go,” he said.
Supreme Court had warned the protesting doctors Monday that it wouldn’t restrain state govt from taking action against them if they didn’t resume work by 5pm the next afternoon after a month-long agitation that lawyers representing the state said had resulted in 23 patients dying for want of adequate medical attention.
“The resident doctors cannot be oblivious to the needs of the general community,” SC said.
Bengal CM Mamata, too, appealed to the junior doctors to return to work and open a dialogue with govt. Most of their demands have already been accepted, including the suspension of some doctors, she pointed out. “Please join work. You are always welcome if you have anything to say. Bring a delegation of five-10 members and we can discuss the issues. Give us some time. Be a bit patient. It might not be possible for us to fulfil all your demands if you have 10 (demands). But please provide service to the people,” Mamata said.
Hundreds of protesters marching to the health department’s office in Salt Lake had been stopped by a barricade 100 metres from the gate. They squatted on the road, like they had done during their march to Lalbazar, the Kolkata Police headquarters .
The Mamata Banerjee govt’s message to West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF) was sent out around 6pm, by which time the doctors had already shifted the protest from their respective medical college campuses to Swasthya Bhavan, the state health department’s headquarters in Kolkata’s Salt Lake.
Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said the CM waited at Nabanna, the secretariat, until 7.30pm for representatives of the junior doctors to turn up.
The junior doctors said they felt “humiliated” by the manner in which the invite had been sent “and its language”. “The mail was sent to WBJDF by the very person (health secretary) whose resignation we are demanding,” said Debasish Haldar, a junior doctor at Medical College Hospital. “The message addressed us as ‘Sir’. Let me tell govt that many madams, too, are part of this cease-work.”
Another point of contention was the number of representatives govt had invited. “Why only 10 delegates? Representatives of all medical colleges must be allowed to go,” he said.
Supreme Court had warned the protesting doctors Monday that it wouldn’t restrain state govt from taking action against them if they didn’t resume work by 5pm the next afternoon after a month-long agitation that lawyers representing the state said had resulted in 23 patients dying for want of adequate medical attention.
“The resident doctors cannot be oblivious to the needs of the general community,” SC said.
Bengal CM Mamata, too, appealed to the junior doctors to return to work and open a dialogue with govt. Most of their demands have already been accepted, including the suspension of some doctors, she pointed out. “Please join work. You are always welcome if you have anything to say. Bring a delegation of five-10 members and we can discuss the issues. Give us some time. Be a bit patient. It might not be possible for us to fulfil all your demands if you have 10 (demands). But please provide service to the people,” Mamata said.
Hundreds of protesters marching to the health department’s office in Salt Lake had been stopped by a barricade 100 metres from the gate. They squatted on the road, like they had done during their march to Lalbazar, the Kolkata Police headquarters .