Kolkata doctors partially end strike, essential services resume on Sept 21

Junior doctors said that from Saturday, they would resume emergency and essential services at hospitals, though they would not return to the Out Patient Department

Days after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee agreed to transfer senior police and health officials as demanded, junior doctors announced on Thursday a ‘partial’ end to their strike. They stated that from Saturday, they would resume emergency and essential services at hospitals, though they would not return to the Out Patient Department (OPD).

The doctors also declared plans to conclude their sit-in protest outside Swasthya Bhawan, the state health department’s headquarters, after a march to the CBI office on Friday. However, they emphasised that their ‘fight for justice’ was far from over.

The protests, which began on August 9, were triggered by the rape and murder of a junior doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital.

 

While acknowledging an ‘initial victory’ since most of their demands had been met, the junior doctors issued a statement asserting that their call for ‘justice’ was still unfulfilled, and their movement would continue.

Kolkata case: Doctors’ demands

On Monday, as many as 42 doctors met with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other government officials, reaching agreements on most of the issues raised by the medical professionals.

1. As outlined in the meeting, the government agreed to allocate Rs 100 crore for hospital infrastructure improvements and for restructuring patient welfare committees.

2. A special task force, led by the chief secretary and including the police commissioner as well as junior doctor representatives, would be established.

3. The government also committed to setting up a grievance redressal system across hospitals and medical colleges.

4. The doctors demanded the removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal, accusing him of mishandling the case and tampering with evidence. They also sought the removal of DC (North) Abhishek Gupta. Goyal was sacked and Manoj Kumar Verma took charge as the new Commissioner of Police of Kolkata on Tuesday.

5. Additionally, the doctors called for the removal of the state's Director of Health Services (DHS) and Director of Medical Education (DME).

[With input from agencies]