West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has made a fresh appeal to junior doctors, urging them to end their indefinite hunger strike as their protest entered its 16th day on Sunday.
Despite Banerjee’s request, the doctors, who are demanding justice for their deceased colleague from RG Kar Hospital, have refused to withdraw their fast until their demands are met.
The medics, who are staging a ‘fast-unto-death’ protest, have been agitating for over two weeks, calling for systemic changes in the state’s healthcare infrastructure.
Their demands include the removal of senior health officials, justice for their colleague, and improvements in hospital safety.
Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, on Saturday evening, extended an invitation to the protesting doctors for a meeting with the chief minister at the state secretariat, Nabanna. The proposed meeting, scheduled for Monday at 5 pm, was conditional on the doctors ending their hunger strike.
While the medics have refused to end their fast until all demands are met, they have agreed to attend the talks on Monday.
Banerjee spoke to the agitating doctors via phone during a visit by Chief Secretary Pant and Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty to the protest site at
Esplanade, Kolkata.
According to sources, Banerjee urged the medics to reconsider their stance, stating that their demands had been addressed to a significant extent, except for their request to remove state Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam.
Banerjee firmly rejected this demand, stating, “It is not possible to remove everyone in a department at once; we have already removed the DHS and DME, so please rise above politics and rejoin work.”
The CM’s appeal came amid mounting concerns over the impact of the strike on the state’s healthcare system.
She stressed the need to balance the right to protest with maintaining essential services, adding, “Everybody has the right to protest, but it shouldn’t affect healthcare services. I would request you all to withdraw your fast.”
Despite the appeal, the doctors have stood firm on their demands. One protesting medic responded, “It seems the chief minister is not informed properly.
Apart from a few of us who are on fast, the remaining junior doctors are working. We will not withdraw the fast till all our demands are met.”
Six doctors have already been hospitalised due to deteriorating health, while eight others continue with the indefinite hunger strike.
The doctors have warned that if their demands are not met by Monday, they will escalate the protest by calling for a statewide strike of all medical professionals on Tuesday.
A large rally has been planned for Sunday to further press their demands.
The junior doctors had initially launched a ‘cease-work’ movement on August 9 in response to the alleged rape and murder of their colleague at RG Kar Hospital.
After nearly 50 days of intermittent ‘cease-work’, they escalated the protest into an indefinite hunger strike from October 5.
Banerjee’s intervention has so far failed to placate the medics, who remain adamant about securing justice and reforms in the health sector.
Banerjee attempted to allay their concerns by highlighting steps already taken by the state government, including the removal of the Commissioner of Police, the Director of Medical Education (DME), and the Director of Health Services (DHS).
“I have removed the CP, the DME, and the DHS, but I cannot remove everyone in the department,” she explained. “Is it logical for you to decide which officer should be removed?” Banerjee questioned. “Some of your demands need policy decisions. We will cooperate to the fullest extent possible, but it is not acceptable that you will dictate to the government what should be done.”
She also emphasised the strain the strike was placing on the public, particularly low-income patients who rely on government hospitals. “People are dependent on you for treatment. Where will the poor people go? They are treated free in government hospitals. Please forget my position and treat me as your ‘Didi’. These are your just demands, but you should serve the people,” Banerjee said in her phone conversation with the protestors.
The junior doctors, however, remain unmoved by the chief minister’s plea. Along with their hunger strike, they have called for a ‘Chitkar Samabesh’ at 4 pm on Sunday at Esplanade, to galvanise support for their movement.
The standoff continues, with the state government and junior doctors seemingly locked in a deadlock, both sides standing firm as the hunger strike presses on.
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