Key Takeaways
- Doctors in Kolkata are protesting to demand resignation of three top health department officials and live streaming of talks with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
- The protest is ongoing for the 4th day, with doctors citing the sufferings of patients as a major concern.
- Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has offered to resign in the interest of the people, but the doctors are still demanding justice for the 31-year-old woman doctor who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Hospital.
Kolkata: Defying rain, West Bengal government’s junior doctors continued their demonstration in front of Swastha Bhaban at New Town for the 4th day on Friday, a day after their proposed talks with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee failed to materialise despite the government’s three attempts in three days, official sources said.
Outdoor Patient Departments in government hospital remained paralysed on Friday due to doctors’ protest, continuing for the past 36th day. The protesting doctors have rejected the Supreme Court’s direction to end their strike, citing the sufferings of patients as a major concern.
The medics are demanding resignation of three top health department officials holding then responsible for signing a
letter allowing demolition and renovation in the vicinity of crime scene at RG Kar Hospital seminar room where a 31-year-old woman doctor was raped and murdered on August 9.
Amid dramitc scene on Thursday evening, about 32 junior doctors returned from the gate of Nabanna, state secretariat, after the government did not concede their demand for live streaming of the talks between them and the Chief Minister.
Banerjee after waiting at the meeting venue for over two hours left the Nabanna after addressing media persons, offering to resign, and making a fresh appeal to the doctors to resume work as mandated by the Supreme Court.
The apex court directed the protesting medics to resume duty by 5 pm on Tuesday. The top court had also allowed the state government to take coercive measure.
Banerjee made it clear that she was not a believer to impose Essential Services Maintenance Act or other methods and appealed to the medics to return to work fend the sufferings of poor patients.
She also claimed there were some forces provoking the protesting doctors to defame her “Ma Mati Manus” government and said they were after the chair (seat of power), creating distorted information in the social media.
“In the interest of the people, I am ready to resign. I do not want the post of the Chief Minister. I want justice for Tilottama. And I want common people to get medical treatment,” Banerjee said at a media conference on Thursday.
