Junior doctors in Kolkata have been protesting for over a month, refusing to return to work until their demands are met, despite a Supreme Court order.
Protesting junior doctors have decided to end their strike on Friday after West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant assured them of implementing safety and security measures.
Amid calls from the government and judiciary to return to work, the doctors presented five demands to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, outlining the conditions for ending their protests and resuming duties.
Although the doctors were assured that no adverse action would be taken against them and that the government would address their concerns, they have stated they will remain on strike until they see concrete action on all fronts.
After two unsuccessful attempts to engage in talks with the Mamata Banerjee-led government, the doctors presented the following demands to the authorities.
Doctors’ Demands
On Monday, 42 doctors met with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other government officials, reaching an agreement on most of the demands presented by the medical community.
According to the meeting minutes, the government has committed to allocate ₹100 crore for hospital infrastructure development and the establishment of patient welfare committees. Additionally, a special task force will be created, led by the chief secretary and including the police commissioner and representatives from the junior doctors.
The government will also establish a grievance redressal mechanism across hospitals and medical colleges.
The doctors called for the removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal due to allegations of mishandling the case and tampering with evidence, as well as the removal of DC (North) Abhishek Gupta. They also requested the removal of the Director of Health Services (DHS) and the Director of Medical Education (DME) from their positions.
On Tuesday, the government replaced Vineet Goyal with Manoj Kumar Verma, and also removed the DC (North), the DHS, and the DME.
In compliance with Supreme Court orders, the government is working on implementing updated safety measures, including CCTV cameras in hospitals and increased police presence.
However, the formation of the task force and a comprehensive grievance redressal system has not yet materialized.
While the doctors welcomed the replacements of the police commissioner and health officials, they remain skeptical about the government’s commitment to fulfilling all their demands.
Junior doctor Aniket Mahata told HT that the protests will continue until the government shows progress on all fronts. “The government needs to address these issues so we can return to duty as soon as possible. The sit-in will go on,” he stated.
According to PTI, the doctors have decided to partially withdraw their strike, as the government has met the majority of their demands and the state is facing a flood-like situation, increasing the need for medical assistance.
The protesting doctors announced that while they would not work in the Outpatient Department (OPD), they would still participate in emergency and essential services.
