#MamataBanerjee, #RGKarCase, #RGKarRapeMurder, #DoctorsProtest, #FastUntoDeath, #Nabanna, #Kolkata
Kolkata/IBNS-CMEDIA: The highly-anticipated meeting between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and protesting junior doctors aimed at resolving the ongoing crisis following the brutal rape and murder of a medic at RG Kar Medical College took place for nearly two hours on Monday evening.
The meeting saw some altercations too with Mamata Banerjee agreeing to some of their demands but refusing to remove the Principal Health Secretary Nayaran Swaroop Nigam.
Banerjee said without any proof, no individual can be held accused and therefore action cannot be taken right now. “You cannot accuse anyone without proof,” she said.
The meeting, held on the 17th day of the fast unto death by a section of protesting doctors, was streamed live for the first time from the state secretariat Nabanna even though that was not announced.
Banerjee urged the junior doctors to end their fast, asserting that most of their demands had been met, although she rejected their request for the removal of the state health secretary.
“At RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, several junior doctors and medical students were suspended without following proper procedures. How can these students or resident doctors be suspended based solely on complaints? Who granted the college authorities the right to take such actions without informing the state government? Isn’t this a threat culture?” she questioned.
In response, Aniket Mahato, an agitating doctor who was hospitalised after five days of fasting, stated that those suspended “have been very much part of the threat culture and don’t deserve to be doctors.
“If needed, the state government can assess their performance and then decide. The atmosphere at the medical college has been poisoned by these individuals masquerading as students. A review of their answer sheets would show that they don’t even deserve passing marks,” he added.
The Chief Minister has promised to look into their demands.
Following the completion of the meeting, the agitating doctors returned to their dharna site and are currently holding their general body meeting.
They are expected to make a press conference soon.
The doctors are on hunger strike for 17 days now demanding justice for the RG Kar rape and murder victim besides raising nine other demands which they say should be fulfilled for the sake of a clean and corruption-free healthcare system.
Barring the sacking of the state health secretary, Banerjee has agreed to most of the demands but sought time for the implementation.
Photo courtesy: WBJDF Facebook page
“I agree to your demands for elections at medical colleges but I need four months for implementation as byelections and several festivals are due to take place within that time,” she said.
When a medic who is on hunger strike read out the demand to sack NS Nigam, Banerjee outrightly rejected it and counter-charged a section of junior doctors of being involved in corruption.
“I can’t accept this demand. The government will not function as per random demands. We will definitely probe upon receiving specific complaints of corruption,” the Chief Minister, who accused a section of junior doctors of practicing at private hospitals during the strike, told a medic who is a part of ‘fast unto death’ movement.
The medic countered Banerjee saying, “We think the demand is justified as the heinous crime occurred during his tenure.”
The Chief Minister hit back saying, “How can you demand sacking of all members of a department all together? Will you decide which government officer will be posted or not?… Let the investigation be over.”
The medic responded, “I won’t want to get into an argument with you on this.”
