Kolkata: Junior doctors protesting the RG Kar hospital issue have rejected West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s invitation for talks, criticizing the language of the communication from the state’s Health Secretary.
The email from Health Secretary N. S. Nigam, sent on Tuesday evening, invited a small delegation of a maximum of 10 persons to visit the state secretariat, Nabanna, for discussions. The protesting doctors found the tone of the email disrespectful and insensitive.
Dr. Debasish Halder, a leader of the protesting doctors, expressed their dissatisfaction, stating, “The language of the communication is not only disrespectful to us doctors, it’s downright insensitive. We find no reason to reply to this mail.” The doctors have made it clear that they are open to discussions with the state’s highest authorities but will continue their agitation until their demands are met.
The junior doctors, who have been on a ‘cease work’ strike for over a month, are protesting the alleged rape and murder of a medic at RG Kar hospital. They defied the Supreme Court’s 5 pm deadline to return to work, choosing instead to continue their sit-in protest at the state health department headquarters, Swasthya Bhavan.
During their earlier “clean up Swasthya Bhavan” march, the doctors demanded the resignations of the Health Secretary, Director of Health Education (DHE), and Director of Health Services (DHS), as well as the removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal. They had set a 5 pm deadline for the state administration to address their demands, which coincided with the Supreme Court’s deadline.
Bengal’s Minister of State for Health, Chandrima Bhattacharya, stated that the chief minister had taken a “positive approach” by inviting the doctors for a meeting. The chief minister, who also oversees the state’s health portfolio, was waiting for the doctors’ delegation until 7:30 pm, at which point she left her office due to the lack of response.
The doctors have criticized the restriction of the delegation size to 10 representatives and the fact that the communication came from the Health Secretary, whose resignation they are demanding. Dr. Halder emphasized that the email was insulting and asserted that their protests and ‘cease work’ would continue, indicating another night of sit-in protests before the state health headquarters.
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