The Wes Bengal Medical Council, on Thursday, cancelled the registration of Sandip Ghosh, the ex- Principal of RG Kar Medical College. Agitating junior doctors are continuing their ‘ceasework’ after the second round of talks with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday remained inconclusive. The doctors said that the government only gave “verbal assurances” on their demands and refused to provide written meeting minutes signed by the CM.
"While the talks went smoothly, the government refused to hand over signed and written minutes of the issues which were discussed. We are feeling let down and disappointed with the government's attitude," one of the agitating doctors, Dr. Aniket Mahato said as per news agency PTI.
Following the lengthy discussions, which lasted over five and a half hours at the state secretariat, junior doctors announced they would persist with their 'cease work' movement until the government issues formal directives ensuring their safety in state-run hospitals. The state government also rejected calls for a departmental inquiry against Health Secretary N S Nigam, as demanded by the protesting medics.
"We will send an email tomorrow detailing our demands based on which the government has assured it will issue directives. We will continue our agitation and take a call on it if and when those directives are issued," Mahato said.
Wednesday's meeting featured a state-level public healthcare task force led by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and included a delegation of 30 junior doctors. Despite both sides acknowledging the necessity for improved safety protocols and transparency within the healthcare system, a signed agreement detailing the discussions was not produced, leaving doctors dissatisfied.
One doctor stated, “The government agreed that most of our demands were just and needed immediate implementation. But we were disappointed at the end of the talks when the Chief Secretary refused to give us a signed minutes of the meeting.” The unsigned minutes of the meeting released by the Bengal government stated that the protesting doctors had called for the formation of an inquiry committee against the Principal Health Secretary for alleged misconduct over the past 4-5 years, which included fostering a health syndicate.
Among the key issues raised were demands for better safety measures in hospitals, representation of students in decision-making bodies, and addressing the "threat culture" prevalent in medical campuses. The doctors emphasized that their demands were essential to preventing future incidents like that at RG Kar Hospital.
According to the unsigned summary of the meeting, both parties have agreed to implement central directives for deploying female police officers for nighttime patrols in hospitals and establishing helplines for rapid response to incidents. However, disagreements remain over the proposed representation on the safety task force, with doctors advocating for broader representation from all medical colleges.
As the strike continues, senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee urged the junior doctors to reconsider their position, stating, “As a gesture of goodwill, the doctors should consider calling off the strike and work collaboratively with the West Bengal government to serve the needs of the people.”
The situation remains tense as the doctors plan to continue their sit-in at the state health department headquarters, Swasthya Bhawan until their demands are met. In response to the outcry, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had previously called for the doctors to end their strike, which began on August 9, the day the body of the trainee doctor was discovered.
