West Bengal: Junior doctors firm on health secy’s exit, threaten to resume cease-work

She said most of their demands have been met but rejected their insistence on the removal of the state health secretary.
West Bengal: Junior doctors firm on health secy’s exit, threaten to resume cease-work
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KOLKATA: A day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spoke to the junior doctors and called a meeting on Monday to resolve the impasse over RG Kar hospital rape-murder, agitation junior doctors on Sunday said they would launch a cease-work along with senior doctors from Tuesday if their demands are not met in the meeting.

According to the members of the West Bengal Junior Doctors Forum, they have sent an email to the CM mentioning the 10-point demands, including removal of the health secretary and end to threat culture in state-run hospitals. “If our demands are not met after meeting with the chief minister, then we will launch ceasework and nobody could stop us,” said a junior doctor.

On Saturday, Banerjee had urged the junior doctors to end their fast-unto-death. She said most of their demands have been met but rejected their insistence on the removal of the state health secretary.

Agitating junior doctors were joined by members of civil society organisations on Sunday evening in a mega rally to press for their 10-point demands. Addressing the rally at the fast-unto-death venue in Esplanade, the medics said their agitation would intensify if their demands were not met.

Members of civil society organisations joined the rally holding placards, lighting candles and women blowing conch shells to show solidarity with the junior doctors.

Empathising with the junior doctors’ demands, several actors from the Bengali film and television industry, including Chaiti Ghosal, Debalina Dutta, and Soumya Banerjee held a day-long hunger strike near the protest site. Street plays, songs and recital of poems marked another protest congregation near the Academy of Fine Arts.

TMC leader said Debangshu Bhattacharya, “ We are not seeing any difference between Maoist leaders and the junior doctors who are protesting at Dharmatala. They are threatening the government and now they are waiting to kill people as all the doctors will go on cease-work, and nobody is there to look after poor patients.”

Civil society members join agitation

Agitating junior doctors were joined by members of civil society organisations on Sunday evening in a mega rally to press for their 10-point demands. Addressing the rally, the medics said their agitation would intensify if their demands were not met.

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