The West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front on Wednesday wrote to West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant seeking details about the implementation of the promises made by the State government.
The junior doctors, in their email, said the record of the meeting held between the WBJDF and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on October 21 does not contain their demand for the formation of Resident Doctors’ Associations at all medical colleges in the State. They said the record they received was incomplete and does not address all their demands even though they were discussed in the meeting with the Chief Minister.
“It is, however, pointed out that while a specific demand was raised, and discussed, as to formation of Resident Doctors’ Associations (RDAs) in each medical college of the State, the said demand has not been included in the Record of Discussions as communicated to us,” the WBJDF said.
The WBJDF pointed out that while the State government had assured junior doctors of conducting student body elections in medical colleges by March 2025, no timeline had been shared with them so far.
The protesting doctors, who have been demanding justice for their colleague who was raped and murdered at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, said the government had not given them any terms of reference regarding the formation of college-level stakeholder committees though it was discussed at the meeting held at Nabanna, the State Secretariat. It was only after the meeting with the Chief Minister that the junior doctors ended their 17-day hunger strike.
The State government is yet to respond to the email.
The government had on November 2 launched a central referral system as a pilot project in five medical colleges — Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, S.S.K.M. Hospital, R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, N.R.S. Medical College and Hospital, and National Medical College. This was one of top demands of the protesting doctors. The system will allow hospitals in districts to requisition a bed in medical establishments in Kolkata.
Mass convention
A mass convention was held by doctors at the Burdwan Medical College and Hospital to discuss the future course of their movement. Doctors from across the State participated in it.
Some participants shared their disappointment over the Supreme Court postponing the date of hearing in the R.G. Kar case. The hearing was supposed to be held on November 5, but has been postponed twice.
Published - November 06, 2024 09:38 pm IST
