WB: Doctors on strike agree to meet CM Mamata Banerjee
What's the story
Junior doctors of NRS Medical College agitating in Kolkata have on Sunday reportedly agreed to meet West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee even as their strike entered the sixth day. The doctors want to meet her under camera supervision, in the presence of media and refused a closed-door meeting. They have asked the Chief Minister to choose a venue for the meeting. Here's more.
Statement
Meeting should not be behind closed doors: Junior doctors
After a general body meeting, the junior doctors of NRS Medical College and Hospital said they want an "immediate end" to the impasse. News Agency ANI quoted the junior doctors as saying, "We want immediate end to this impasse by discussion with the CM, which, to maintain transparency, shouldn't be behind closed doors, but open to media under camera coverage."
Twitter Post
We want immediate end to this impasse: Junior doctors
Junior doctors of #NRSMedicalCollege and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, after a general body meeting: We want immediate end to this impasse by discussion with the CM, which, to maintain transparency, shouldn't be behind closed doors, but open to media under camera coverage. pic.twitter.com/N8Spu1yRci
— ANI (@ANI) June 16, 2019
Information
IMA calls for a 24hr nationwide strike June 17
The Resident Doctors' Association of AIIMS has reportedly given a 48-hour ultimatum to the WB government to meet the protesting doctors. The Indian Medical Association (IMA), meanwhile, has called for a 24-hour nationwide strike on Monday (June 17).
Meeting
Doctors earlier refused a closed-door meeting with CM Mamata
The protesting doctors had earlier refused an invite for a closed-door meeting with Mamata at the State Secretariat. CM Mamata later a press conference to once again request them to resume work, assuring the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) wouldn't be invoked. "We are not going to take any stringent action against any of the agitating junior doctors and hamper their career," she said.
Protest
Why are doctors in West Bengal on a strike?
Junior doctors in WB have been protesting since June 11. The agitation soon spread to other states too. The strike was triggered after a severe assault on two junior doctors by the family of a patient who died at NRS Medical College and Hospital on June 10. One of the injured junior doctors, Paribaha Mukhopadhyay, who suffered a fractured skull, is in a coma.
Resignations
Over 300 doctors resigned in West Bengal so far
Meanwhile, protests by doctors continued today across West Bengal and the country. According to Health Ministry sources, more than 300 doctors have resigned from government-run hospitals in the state so far. Earlier on Thursday, NRS Medical College and Hospital's Principal, Professor Saibal Kumar Mukherjee, and Medical Superintendent/Vice-Principal, Professor Saurabh Chattopadhyay, had resigned from their respective posts.