Take care of patients, run hospitals peacefully: Mamata urges protesting docs

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday appealed to protesting doctors in the state to get back to work and ensure that hospitals can run "smoothly and peacefully".

"My humble request to all of you. Please take care of all patients. Poor people are coming from all districts. I will be obliged and honoured if you all please take care of the hospitals. Hospitals must run smoothly and peacefully. Thanks for your full cooperation," Banerjee said in a letter to all senior doctors and professors.

Earlier today, Members of Joint Platform of Doctors met Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi and demanded adequate security in every medical college and hospital.

"We demand proper action against those who attacked doctors in NRS Hospital on June 10. We will resume working as soon as our demands are fulfilled," one of the doctors said after meeting Tripathi.

The protest erupted on June 11 after a junior doctor at the Nil Ratan Sarkar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital was allegedly attacked by the relative of a patient who died on June 10.

The junior doctors locked up the hospital gates, stopped work at the outpatient department (OPD) and started a dharna as a mark of protest against the attack. However, patients later broke open the gates to enter the hospital.

The West Bengal Chief Minister, in a Facebook post, reiterated her appeal to restore normalcy in healthcare services to the patients "without any further delay," while adding that the state government has "taken full care of the injured doctor."

"We pray that he recovers quickly. As per information received, he is stable and improving," Mamata said in her post.

"An unfortunate incident took place in NRS Hospital 3 days ago. I sent my colleague, Chandrima Bhattacharjee, Minister-of-State, Health and Family Welfare to visit the injured doctor and talk to a section of the junior doctors who are agitating and request them to withdraw the agitation as people are not getting treatment. Cancer patients, kidney patients, accident victims, even children coming from distant places are suffering for not getting treatment," the TMC Chief said.

Mamata also appealed to the doctors to not fall into the "trap" laid by political parties. "Our government is giving full co-operation and taking all necessary action. But, in spite of that, provocations are coming from other political parties, which no one should fall trapped into," she said.

"Today when I visited SSKM, I saw gatherings of outsiders of different political parties shouting slogans in hospital silence zones and stopping emergency services. Patient parties are crying and outdoor services are closed. I sent some patients to private hospitals for immediate treatment. I am grateful to senior doctors and professors who are offering full services to the people. My humble regards to them for their cooperation. Some misinformation/disinformation being spread on social media by some political parties are completely untrue," she added.

5 persons have been arrested and their bail prayers were rejected by Ld Court, Mamata asserted.