Kolkata, The second round of talks between junior doctors and West Bengal government officials on Wednesday failed to break the doctors' strike over the RG Kar issue, following the state's refusal to provide written minutes of the meeting, the doctors alleged.
After the meeting, the doctors announced that they will continue their agitation and 'stop work' movement until the government issues written directives on the safety of doctors in state hospitals, as agreed at the meeting.
"Although the talks went smoothly, the government refused to provide written and signed minutes of the issues discussed. We are disappointed with the government's attitude," said Dr. Aniket Mahato, one of the agitating doctors. Tomorrow we will send an email detailing our demands, based on which the government has assured that it will issue directives. We will continue our agitation and will take a call when those directives are issued," Mahato said.
The state also refused to accept the doctors' demand to initiate a departmental inquiry against health secretary N S Nigam in the wake of the alleged rape and murder of a PG student of R G Kar hospital.
The state capital has been rocked by mass protests since the alleged rape and murder of the trainee doctor and subsequent allegations of widespread corruption in government health centers and arm-twisting of students and trainee doctors, which led to demands for action against the health secretary. .This was the second round of talks between the doctors and the state government in 48 hours. The first round was held on Monday with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her Kalighat residence.
Wednesday's meeting between the state-level public health task force headed by chief secretary Manoj Pant and a delegation of 30 junior doctors began at the state secretariat in Nabanna around 7.30 pm, an hour after the scheduled time. by the state, and lasted for more than five and a half hours
The protesting doctors said they highlighted issues of their safety within the state hospital premises and details of the formulation and functions of the task force promised at the meeting. The doctors raised issues relating to transparency in referral systems, allocation of beds to patients, the hiring of health workers and the end of the "threat culture" predominant on campuses.
The meeting also discussed representation of students in unions, hostels and hospital decision-making bodies, setting up working groups at the university level and holding elections for the university council and resident doctors' association.
The doctors said their demands were "inextricably linked" to the concern that a gruesome crime like the one that took place at RG Kar Hospital would never be repeated. "The government agreed that most of our demands were fair and needed immediate implementation. But at the end of the talks we were disappointed when the chief secretary refused to give us the signed minutes of the meeting," said a doctor.
An unsigned minutes of the meeting released by the Bengal government after the meeting stated that the junior doctors demanded formation of an inquiry committee against the Principal Secretary Health for alleged misconduct over the last 4-5 years, including the promotion of a health union.
The chief secretary emphasized that a thorough investigation of the state's health system is necessary. The minutes revealed that the government requested that the doctors send 4-5 representatives to the state task force on security, but the doctors proposed a broader representation of all medical schools.
"Both sides agreed to implement a central directive to deploy women police officers on night patrols, install department-wise panic buttons and establish helplines for quick intervention," the minutes read.
Like on Monday, the protesting doctors were accompanied by stenographers to take the minutes of the meeting. Banerjee has been asking the doctors to withdraw their 'cessation of work', which has continued since August 9, when the body of the trainee doctor at RG Kar hospital.
However, after Wednesday's meeting, the doctors announced that they would continue their sit-in outside the state health department's headquarters, Swasthya Bhawan, until the conditions for talks were met.
The protest outside the Swasthya Bhawan has continued for the past nine days. Bowing to the doctors' demands, Banerjee had earlier transferred Kolkata Police Chief Vineet Goyal and appointed Manoj Kumar Verma in his place, while also dismissed two senior health department officials.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday urged junior doctors to end their agitation and resume work.
"As a gesture of goodwill, doctors should consider calling off the strike and work in collaboration with the West Bengal government to address the needs of the people and expedite the implementation of the task force's initiatives to ensure that these changes are implemented promptly. ", Banerjee. he said in a post on X.
After the meeting, the doctors announced that they will continue their agitation and 'stop work' movement until the government issues written directives on the safety of doctors in state hospitals, as agreed at the meeting.
"Although the talks went smoothly, the government refused to provide written and signed minutes of the issues discussed. We are disappointed with the government's attitude," said Dr. Aniket Mahato, one of the agitating doctors. Tomorrow we will send an email detailing our demands, based on which the government has assured that it will issue directives. We will continue our agitation and will take a call when those directives are issued," Mahato said.
The state also refused to accept the doctors' demand to initiate a departmental inquiry against health secretary N S Nigam in the wake of the alleged rape and murder of a PG student of R G Kar hospital.
The state capital has been rocked by mass protests since the alleged rape and murder of the trainee doctor and subsequent allegations of widespread corruption in government health centers and arm-twisting of students and trainee doctors, which led to demands for action against the health secretary. .This was the second round of talks between the doctors and the state government in 48 hours. The first round was held on Monday with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her Kalighat residence.
Wednesday's meeting between the state-level public health task force headed by chief secretary Manoj Pant and a delegation of 30 junior doctors began at the state secretariat in Nabanna around 7.30 pm, an hour after the scheduled time. by the state, and lasted for more than five and a half hours
The protesting doctors said they highlighted issues of their safety within the state hospital premises and details of the formulation and functions of the task force promised at the meeting. The doctors raised issues relating to transparency in referral systems, allocation of beds to patients, the hiring of health workers and the end of the "threat culture" predominant on campuses.
The meeting also discussed representation of students in unions, hostels and hospital decision-making bodies, setting up working groups at the university level and holding elections for the university council and resident doctors' association.
The doctors said their demands were "inextricably linked" to the concern that a gruesome crime like the one that took place at RG Kar Hospital would never be repeated. "The government agreed that most of our demands were fair and needed immediate implementation. But at the end of the talks we were disappointed when the chief secretary refused to give us the signed minutes of the meeting," said a doctor.
An unsigned minutes of the meeting released by the Bengal government after the meeting stated that the junior doctors demanded formation of an inquiry committee against the Principal Secretary Health for alleged misconduct over the last 4-5 years, including the promotion of a health union.
The chief secretary emphasized that a thorough investigation of the state's health system is necessary. The minutes revealed that the government requested that the doctors send 4-5 representatives to the state task force on security, but the doctors proposed a broader representation of all medical schools.
"Both sides agreed to implement a central directive to deploy women police officers on night patrols, install department-wise panic buttons and establish helplines for quick intervention," the minutes read.
Like on Monday, the protesting doctors were accompanied by stenographers to take the minutes of the meeting. Banerjee has been asking the doctors to withdraw their 'cessation of work', which has continued since August 9, when the body of the trainee doctor at RG Kar hospital.
However, after Wednesday's meeting, the doctors announced that they would continue their sit-in outside the state health department's headquarters, Swasthya Bhawan, until the conditions for talks were met.
The protest outside the Swasthya Bhawan has continued for the past nine days. Bowing to the doctors' demands, Banerjee had earlier transferred Kolkata Police Chief Vineet Goyal and appointed Manoj Kumar Verma in his place, while also dismissed two senior health department officials.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday urged junior doctors to end their agitation and resume work.
"As a gesture of goodwill, doctors should consider calling off the strike and work in collaboration with the West Bengal government to address the needs of the people and expedite the implementation of the task force's initiatives to ensure that these changes are implemented promptly. ", Banerjee. he said in a post on X.
