Abhishek Banerjee urges Kolkata doctors to end strike

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday urged the protesting doctors in Kolkata to end their cease-work agitation and coordinate with the West Bengal government to implement measures to ensure their safety and security. He also reiterated that “since day one, I have supported the doctors in their concerns regarding safety and security”.
The junior doctors have not resumed their duties since they began their protests in the wake of the 31-year-old trainee doctor’s rape and murder at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
Just a day after meeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in an effort to end the impasse, the protesting doctors on Wednesday announced that their strike would continue until their demands, including the removal of Bengal’s Health Secretary and a fresh round of negotiations with the state government.
In response, the Trinamool MP said in a tweet that he has also “maintained that most of their (doctors) concerns, barring a few, are valid, sensible and justified”.
He said that, as per the Supreme Court’s directions and the Bengal government’s submissions before the top court on Tuesday, “most of the measures for improving the safety and security of doctors are in progress, including the installation of CCTV cameras and infrastructural developments in medical colleges and hospitals across West Bengal, which are expected to be completed within 14 days”.
“Additionally, the government has honoured their demands for transferring certain top officials in the Health Department and Kolkata Police.”
His reference was to the appointment of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Verma as the new Kolkata Police Commissioner, which came a day after Mamata Banerjee announced the removal of Vineet Goyal from the post after her meeting with the doctors.
Director of Health Services (DHS) Debashis Halder, Director of Medical Education (DME) Kaustav Nayak, and Deputy Commissioner of Kolkata Police’s North Division Abhishek Gupta were also removed.
“As a gesture of goodwill, the doctors should now consider calling off the strike and work collaboratively with the Bengal government to serve the people and expedite the implementation of the task force’s initiatives to ensure these changes are promptly executed,” Abhishek Banerjee noted.
He also stressed that it was “crucial to hold the CBI accountable and ensure that no perpetrators are spared, with swift punishment handed down at the earliest opportunity”.
“The CBI’s record speaks for itself: over the past 10 years, they have not completed a single investigation they have undertaken. Justice delayed is justice denied.”
Meanwhile, the other fresh demands of the protesting doctors include ensuring adequate toilet arrangements for doctors, installation of the required number of CCTV cameras in government-run hospitals, proper accommodation for doctors, increased security, and the conduct of student body elections.
The doctors also called for the withdrawal of the government directive barring female doctors from working night shifts. The protesters asserted that their agitation would continue until all their demands were met.