Bengal Chief Secretary to meet Junior doctors again today at 6:30 to discuss unresolved demands
Sep 18, 2024
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], September 18 : The West Bengal government will again meet a delegation of 30 junior doctors on Wednesday after the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front requested one more meeting as some of their demands remained unsolved.
The reply from Bengal Chief Secretary, Manoj Pant stated that many districts of South Bengal are facing flood-like situations and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been visiting those areas.
In the reply, Pant said, "I received your mail dated September 18. In this regard, the Chief Minister has already announced the constitution of a Task Force to address your concerns regarding safety and security in medical colleges and hospitals. You are aware that many districts of South Bengal are facing flood-like situations with vast areas inundated."
"In light of the above situation, while we again appeal to you to join duties in the larger public interest and provide services to common people, I along with other members of the Task Force will meet your delegation of 30 members at Nabanna Sabhaghar today at 06:30 PM. You are requested to kindly reach the meeting venue by 06:15 PM," the Chief Secretary said.
Following the meeting with the protesting doctors on Tuesday, the West Bengal government accepted some of their demands including the removal of the police chief of Kolkata and two senior health officials.
"There have been repeated attempts to politicize our cause, false accusations of seeking positions of power rather than justice, and efforts to create divisions among us through emails, audio clips, and to malign our movement. Yesterday, in a long discussion with the Honorable Chief Minister, our five-point demands were discussed, and some of them were partially fulfilled," Junior Doctors Front said in a press release issued on Tuesday.
Following the meeting with the doctors, Dr Kaustav Nayak and Dr Debashis Halder have been removed from the posts of Director of Medical Education (DME) and Director of Health Services (DHS) from the Department of Health and Family Welfare of the West Bengal Government on Tuesday.
Along with these changes, the Director of the Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Suparna Dutta, and Joint DHS, Dr Swapan Soren, have also been removed from the posts.
According to the notification by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Nayak will assume the post of the Director of the Institute of Health and Family Welfare and Haldar as Officer on Special Duty for Public Health in Swasthya Bhawan.
The body of the 31-year-old doctor was found at the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. Since then thousands of junior doctors in the state have been on a strike.