Mamata Banerjee Assures Rs 2 Lakh Compensation For Patients Allegedly Died Due To Doctors' Strike

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Friday that the state government will provide Rs two lakh in compensation to the families of each of the 29 individuals who reportedly died due to a lack of treatment amid the ongoing 'cease work' by protesting junior doctors.

The junior doctors have denied the claim made by CM. And CM's claim is not the first one as TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee also pointed out the case of a young boy who allegedly died due to lack of doctors. But later the Joint Platform of Doctors blamed him for misleading and spreading false information.

The junior doctors have been on 'cease work' since August 9 when the body of an on-duty postgraduate trainee was found in state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. She was allegedly raped and murdered.

What Did CM Mamata Banerjee Say?

Mamata Banerjee o X wrote, "It is sad and unfortunate that we have lost 29 precious lives due to disruption in health services because of long-drawn cease work by junior doctors."

"In order to extend a helping hand to the bereaved families, state government announces a token financial relief of Rs 2 lakh to family members of each deceased person," she added.

Similar Claim By TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee

The Diamond Harbour TMC MP earlier this month claimed that a boy from Konnagar died because he didn’t get medical care due to the ongoing doctor protests.

Banerjee in a post ox wrote, "A young boy from Konnagar lost his life today following a road accident, after BLEEDING FOR 3 HOURS WITHOUT RECEIVING MEDICAL ATTENTION, a consequence of the ongoing protest by doctors in response to the #RGKar incident."

The Joint Platform of Doctors, West Bengal refuting the claim, demanded an apology from TMC's Abhishek Banerjee for his "false and misleading" social media post.

The doctors' association in a statement dated September 8, clarified that a patient referred from Srirampur was promptly received at R.G. Kar Medical College, contradicting Banerjee's claims.

The statement said, "The doctors on duty immediately attended to him and continued to provide medical care at several intervals until his unfortunate demise at 12:30 PM, as noted in the provisional death certificate."

"The bed head tickets as well as the statement of the MSVP of RGKMCH will categorically substantiate our claim and refute your post," it added. 

The Joint Platform of Doctors denied the claim that the boy bled for three hours thus demanding an 'unconditional' apology.

In a Supreme Court hearing on Monday, senior advocate Kapil Sibal reported that 23 people have died due to the ongoing doctors' strike.

Doctors in West Bengal are protesting for justice after a trainee doctor was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College on August 9. The protests have disrupted medical services statewide.