Kolkata: The second round of talks between junior doctors and officials of the West Bengal government failed to break the junior doctor’s strike following the state’s refusal to give written minutes of the meeting, the doctors alleged. After the meeting, the junior doctor’s announced they will continue with their agitation and ‘cease work’ movement till the government issues written directives on the safety of doctors in state-run hospitals as agreed in the meeting.
One of the doctors who met the Chief Secretary of West Bengal said “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.” He added “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.”
Menwhile, the state has also refused to accept the doctors’ demand to initiate a departmental inquiry against health secretary N S Nigam in the wake of the alleged rape and murder of an R G Kar hospital PG trainee. This was the second round of talks between the junior doctors and the state government in 48 hours. The first round was held with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her Kalighat residence on Monday. The Wednesday meeting between the state-level public healthcare task force headed by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and a delegation of 30 junior doctors started at the state secretariat in Nabanna at around 7.30 pm, an hour after the scheduled time fixed by the state, and lasted for over five and a half hours. The protesting doctors said they highlighted issues of their safety inside state-run hospital premises, and details of formulation and functions of the promised task force at the meeting. The junior doctors raised matters concerning transparency in referral systems, bed allocation to patients, recruitment of healthcare workers, and an end to the prevailing “threat culture” on campuses. Representation of students in unions, hostels and decision making bodies of hospitals, setting up of college-level task forces, and holding of college council and resident doctors’ association elections, were also raised in the meeting. The doctors said their demands were “inextricably linked” to the concern that a gruesome crime like the one that took place at RG Kar Hospital never gets repeated.