Junior doctors in Kolkata are planning to decide by Tuesday afternoon on their possible withdrawal of protest after a 38-day protest in protest at the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The industrial action that started last month had a ripple effect on West Bengal medical services. It’s a wait-and-see situation for the junior doctors as they wait on the government to fulfill their earlier promises of replacing Vineet Kumar Goyal, the Police Commissioner, and two other health officials.
The Supreme Court ordered the doctors to return to work by 5 P.m. on August 10th. But to no avail, junior doctors have held their ground; one of their spokesmen, Debashish Halder, said that they only enjoyed verbal promises till now. He also affirmed that they would not decide to call off the strike or the sit-in protest until the government delivers on its pledges. The doctors are also tracking the Supreme Court hearing for the rape and murder case to be held on Tuesday.
Mamata Banerjee, the state’s Chief Minister, met 42 junior doctors for almost six hours on Monday and assured them that Goyal, the Police commissioner, would be relieved after the Supreme Court case. She also said that a formal letter would be issued after 4 p.m., shifting Goyal to the post of his decision. Banerjee said that on September 9, Goyal wished to resign from the organization. Further, Banerjee stated that two health officials, the director of health services and medical education, would also be dismissed as the doctors no longer had confidence in them. But she stopped short of sacking the state health secretary, who said if three key officials of her administration were to be replaced, then there would be no efficient office functioning.
To this, Banerjee demanded the junior doctors to call off the strike as many patients had died because of the strike.
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