The protesting junior doctors met chief secretary Manoj Pant today at the state secretariat to discuss their remaining charter of demands. Till late, the meeting was still on.
Agitating junior doctors on Wednesday had written to the state chief secretary Manoj Pant seeking a meeting as early as possible to discuss on certain “key unresolved issues” like safety and security in government medical colleges and hospitals and removal of Narayan Swaroop Nigam, principal secretary in-charge of health department, as pre-conditions for lifting their ongoing nine day-long sit-in protest in front of the Swasthya Bhawan, health department headquarters at Salt Lake.
The protesting medics including postgraduate trainee (PGT) doctors, house staff and interns of 26 government teaching hospitals across the state sent an email at 11.19 am with respect to their general body (GB) meeting, which concluded early Wednesday morning.
The protesters highlighted issues of safety and security inside state-run hospital premises, and details of formulation and functions of the promised task force headed by the chief secretary, as agenda for the proposed meeting.
They under the banner of the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front (WBJDF) have been organizing cease-work in outpatient departments (OPDs) in 26 medical colleges since 9 August demanding justice.
“In reference to our last meeting with the CM, we would like to reiterate that there were certain key points regarding our five-point demand, which were unresolved. Particularly our 4th and 5th points, concerning the development of the healthcare system, safety, security and prevailing threat culture,” they stated in the email.
The minutes of the five hour-long meeting held between a 40-member delegates of the protesters and the government officials including Mr Pant and home secretary Nandini Chakraborty in presence of the chief minister Mamata Banerjee at her Kalighat residence on Monday night confirmed the mutual agreement of setting up of a task force to implement measures to tackle the safety and security concerns of doctors inside their respective hospitals.
“The issues regarding safety and security within the hospital and college premises were discussed. The state government proposed that a task force headed by the chief secretary and including the home secretary, the DG Police and CP Kolkata as well as representatives as would be proposed by the junior doctors will look into the related matters,” point number 6 of the minutes reads.
“We would like to sit in a meeting with you and other members of the task force today regarding the same. We are eagerly waiting for your positive response,” the email sent by the protesting doctors to Mr Pant stated.
Despite repeated requests from the chief minister to withdraw their cease-work and resume duties, the doctors stuck to their decision to continue with their sit-in till their demands were met.
“We want a task force to be formed in every government medical college hospital. Only a state-level task force can’t ensure safety and security for us in medical colleges. The college-level task force should have members like junior doctors and nurses of respective teaching hospitals,” junior doctors said.