Kolkata:

The protesting junior doctors of Bengal have withdrawn their indefinite hunger strike after a meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee this evening. Announcing the end to the “fast-unto-death” in Kolkata, they also called off their proposed strike across hospitals due on Tuesday.

Debashish Halder, one of the junior doctors, said, “In today’s meeting (with the CM), we did get the assurance of some directives, but the body language of the state government was not positive”.

“The common people have wholeheartedly supported us. They, as well as the parents of our deceased sister (RG Kar hospital victim), have been requesting us to call off the hunger strike, keeping in mind our deteriorating health… We are therefore withdrawing our ‘fast-unto-death’ and also Tuesday’s total shutdown in the health sector,” he said.

The doctors have been protesting since August following the horrific rape-murder of a 31-year-old doctor at RG Kar Medical College and hospital. The protest – which initially involved a 50-day cease work — escalated to an indefinite hunger strike on October 5, flagging a 10-point demand that remained un-met even after a meeting with the Chief Minister. 

Besides justice for the RG Kar Hospital victim, their demands include the immediate removal of Health Secretary N S Nigam, improved workplace security, essential infrastructure like on-call rooms, CCTV, and proper washrooms, a centralised hospital referral system and bed vacancy monitoring system.

In the two-hour meet with the Chief Minister at the state secretariat Nabanna that was live-streamed, the biggest differences cropped up over two of the demands — removal of state Health Secretary Narayan Swarup Nigam and the recent suspension of 47 doctors of RG Kar hospital who were accused of creating an air of “threat culture”. 

On the removal of the Health Secretary, which the Chief Minister had refused earlier as well, the doctors had said they had some documents to back the allegations of irregularities against NS Nigam. The Chief Minister had pointed out that no one can be called an “accused” just on the basis of allegations.

Sandipta Chakraborty, the representative in the delegation from N.R.S. Medical College & Hospital, however countered the Chief Minister. “Anyone against whom there are complaints of irregularities can be grammatically termed as ‘accused’. That same person can be termed as ‘guilty’ if his guilt is proved,” she was quoted as saying by news agency IANS. 

The 15-day hunger strike had seen many of the participating doctors fall ill and need medical attention. But their spot was immediately filled by other volunteers.

The face-off had continued through the state’s biggest festival, Durga puja, and reached its lowest point when nine people — doctors and others — were detained for shouting “We want justice” slogans at a pandal. Days before the police had stopped the proposed “Abhaya Parikrama” rallies by doctors — meant to spread awareness about their protest — at puja pandals.

Kolkata:

Bengal Chief Minster Mamata Banerjee, after meeting with the protesting junior doctors, has announced that she had agreed to three of the five demands of the protesting doctors — the removal of two top officials of the health department and the Chief of Kolkata police.  Along with it, the police chief of the city’s north zone — where RG Kar Medical College, the hospital where the rape-murder of a young doctor took place, is located — will also be removed.  Though the impasse is solved, the protest and the ceasework is expected to continue till the formal orders are issued in the morning.

“I think the meeting was positive. Am sure they think too,” she said. “Or why else we will sign the minutes of the meeting and they would sign it too?” she added.

Banerjee said they have accepted 99 per cent of the doctors’ demands, “because they are our younger brothers”.

“I know they say they will go and discuss and then will decide on lifting the ceasework. But I have requested them to do so, citing the condition of patients, especially in view of the floods in some of the districts,” the Chief Minister said.

Doctors Say Protest Will Continue till…

The announcement is seen as a capitulation of sorts. The junior doctors declared that the state’s acceptance of their demands was a “big victory” of their 38-day protest.  

As for lifting the protest and the casework, that can only be done when the government delivers, they said.  “We have only received their verbal assurance,” said a representative of the Junior Doctors’ Forum.

But even so, their other aim — the destruction of the nexus of corruption at the hospital – remains, they said.  “We will also continue the agitation for the removal of the health secretary,” added one of the other representatives.

What the State Has Promised

Mamata Banerjee has accepted the demands for the upgrade in hospital infrastructure and Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for it.
About the removal of the two health officials — the Director of Medical Education and the Director of the Health Services — Ms Banerjee said they would be given transfers to proper posts.

“We are not dishonouring them. They have not been in the post for long and have done nothing wrong. But since the students said they do not have trust in them, we have accepted,” Ms Banerjee said.

The Chief Minister had earlier said that city police chief Vineet Goyal would be retained for at least the Durga puja. He had asked to resign several times, but she wanted him to stay back, she had said.

The demand for Mr Goyal’s removal came in view of allegations about the police role in evidence tampering after the rape-murder of August 9. This was commented on multiple times by the Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court.

Last week, the Central Bureau of Investigation or the CBI, which is investigating the case, has arrested the hospital’s former Principal Sandip Ghosh and a senior officer of the local police.

The “fifth and final invitation for talks”

The Chief Minister’s announcement took place close to midnight, after a two-hour meeting with the protesting doctors and another 2.5 hours to type out the minutes of the meeting. Ahead of the meeting the state government had described it as a “fifth and final invitation for talks”.

The protesting junior doctors had come to the table after two failed attempts at talks with the Chief Minister. Escorted by a pilot police vehicle, around 30 doctors had arrived at Ms Banerjee’s home at 6.20 pm. The meeting, which was expected to begin  at 5 pm, finally started around 7 pm and ended around 9 pm, after which the process to finalise the minutes started.

The doctors had taken their own stenographers to record the minutes. The document was signed by 40 doctors.

The impasse over the doctors’ demand for justice for the rape-murder of the 31-year-old medic has been on for more than a month. The Supreme Court has already ordered that the doctors put an end to the ceasework and get back to patient care, which is suffering.

The order had ended the spread of the ceasework, as doctors across India had stood up to show solidarity with the protesters. But Bengal doctors had refused, doubling down with the protests as the common people kept up their support.