Kolkata RG Kar case: Protesting junior doctors to meet CM Mamata today

The striking doctors said the outcome of the meeting will determine the future of the protest; they demand removal of Health Secretary NS Nigam as a key condition for resolving the situation

Amid the ongoing stir over the RG Kar rape-murder case, protesting junior doctors are scheduled to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday in a renewed effort to address their concerns.

However, the protesters have made it clear that the future of the strike will be based on the outcome of the meeting.

CM Mamata Banerjee on Saturday urged the striking junior doctors to call off their fast-unto-death, stating that most of their demands have been met, with the exception of the removal of the health secretary.

Chief Secretary Manoj Pant extended an invitation for a 45-minute discussion with the chief minister, on the condition that the doctors end their hunger strike. However, the doctors have insisted that they will not withdraw from the strike prior to the meeting.

The junior doctors continue to demand the removal of Health Secretary NS Nigam as a key condition for resolving the situation. Debasish Halder, a spokesperson for the protesting doctors, expressed concern for the health of those on hunger strike, noting that they would not participate in the meeting.

Halder pointed out that junior doctors have consistently attended state government meetings, even with minimal notice, which have not reached a satisfactory resolution.

During a phone conversation with the doctors on Saturday, Banerjee acknowledged their right to protest but emphasised that it should not disrupt healthcare services.

The CM also dismissed the demand for Nigam's removal, arguing that it is impractical to dismiss all department personnel at once, highlighting that they had already removed the director of health services and the director of medical education. She called for the doctors to rise above politics and return to their duties.

“I appeal to you to withdraw your hunger strike and rejoin work. And then we can sit and discuss. You have to understand what we can do and what we cannot... Poor people are going to private hospitals because they have Swasthya Sathi (government health insurance) and the private hospitals have reported a 40 per cent rise in earnings,” she said.

The protests were ignited by the rape and murder of a junior doctor on August 9 in the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, leading to widespread outrage within the medical community over safety and working conditions in healthcare facilities.

(With agency inputs)