West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Association (WBJDF), the umbrella body which has been protesting against the brutal assault, rape and murder of a trainee doctor of the R G Kar Medical College Hospital in Kolkata, is seeking fresh talks with the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government to resolve the current stalemate over their unfulfilled demands.
Junior Doctors Seek Fresh Talks Over Unmet Demands
According to reports, the WBJDF has decided to send a fresh communique to the state’s Chief Secretary Manoj Pant requesting him to resume discussion over their unfulfilled demands. However, till that time the ongoing protest by the junior doctors at the Swastha Bhavan, the state health department headquarters at Salt Lake on the northern outskirts of Kolkata, will continue.
It may be noted that the forum – WBJDF – has been adamant about the removal or replacement of the current state health secretary, Narayan Swarup Nigam.
Buckling under the pressure, the state government accepted some of the demands made by the agitating junior doctors on Tuesday, which included the removal of the police chief of Kolkata and two senior health officials.
“There have been repeated attempts to politicize our cause, false accusations of seeking positions of power rather than justice, and efforts to create divisions among us through emails, audio clips, and to malign our movement. Yesterday, in a long discussion with the Honorable Chief Minister, our five-point demands were discussed, and some of them were partially fulfilled,” the Junior Doctors Front said in a press release issued on Tuesday, according to news agency ANI.
During their meeting, the junior doctors came down heavily on some of the provisions in the “Aparajita Act” which calls for the stopping of night shifts for doctors.
“The deep-rooted misogyny and medieval mindset hidden behind the state’s “Aparajita Act” have been laid bare before the Supreme Court. It was made clear that imposing restrictions like not allowing night duties and limiting day shifts to less than twelve hours creates a divide between men and women, and such interference with their freedom cannot provide genuine security for women,” Junior Doctors Front said in the press release.
WB Govt Removes Top Doctors
It may be noted that the state government, acting upon the demands made by the junior doctors, immediately removed doctors – Dr Kaustav Nayak and Dr Debashis Halder – from the posts of Director of Medical Education (DME) and Director of Health Services (DHS) from the Department of Health and Family Welfare of the West Bengal Government on Tuesday.
Besides, the state government also removed Dr Suparna Dutta, Director of the Institute of Health and Family Welfare, and Dr Swapan Soren, Joint DHS, from the posts.
A notification issued by the Department of Health and Family Welfare stated that Nayak will take over the post of the Director of the Institute of Health and Family Welfare and Haldar as Officer on Special Duty for Public Health in Swasthya Bhawan.
What Are The Key Demands Of Junior Doctors?
Besides demanding the removal of the West Bengal Health Secretary, the junior doctors’ body also demands the safety and security within the campuses of medical colleges & hospitals to avoid the recurrence of the R G Kar-like case.
Thirdly, they have also demanded the immediate formation of resident doctors’ associations and students’ councils in every medical college in the state.
To end the ongoing doctors’ stir, which has severely affected the health services across the state and led to the tragic death of at least 29 patients, the Mamata Banerjee administration on Tuesday removed the Kolkata Police commissioner, deputy commissioner (north division), director of health services and director of medical education.
On August 9, the body of the 31-year-old doctor was found at the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, which has triggered protests by thousands of junior doctors from the state and across the nation demanding justice for the victim and the safety and security of the healthcare professionals.
