Junior docs’ cease work ‘to continue’, state ‘assures solution’

Kolkata: Wednesday’s meeting between the junior doctors and members of the task force formed for boosting of security and infrastructure in state hospitals led by state Chief Secretary Manoj Pant ended on an apparent positive note with the state government agreeing to the demand of the medics.

Meanwhile, coming out of the meeting at 12.35 am, the junior doctors claimed that the minutes of the meeting was not handed over to them.

“The Chief Secretary has only given some oral assurance. He will be giving a draft of the minutes on Thursday based on which we will make our next decision,” said the junior doctors addressing the media.

According to sources, in the two-and-half-hour meeting, the state has also assured to look into the demand of student union elections in the state hospitals as well as due acknowledgements of Resident Doctors Association in the hospitals and is likely to come out with a notification regarding these in a day or two.

The state has also assured examination of the allegations of threat culture in hospitals and take action against anyone found guilty. The minutes of the meeting were still being prepared when reports last came in. The junior doctors will take a final call regarding their ongoing movement after holding the general body meeting on reaching the dharna site from Nabanna Sabhaghar.A 30-member delegation of the medics reached the meeting venue at 7.20 pm nearly an hour later than the scheduled time.The medics spoke of separate restrooms, bathrooms, CCTV surveillance in front of all restrooms, on-call panic button in all rooms and adequate security in all medical colleges which the state said is already being implemented.

They also placed their demand for forming the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) in all medical colleges.

The medics were accompanied by two stenographers for writing the minutes of the meeting which went on for more than an hour after the end of the same.

Earlier in the day, the junior doctors in a letter to the state chief secretary urged for holding a meeting to discuss some “unresolved” issues involving the development of the healthcare system, safety, security and prevailing threat culture in hospitals.

Recalling their five-hour meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her Kalighat residence on Monday, the medics wrote: “We were assured in the meeting (held on Monday), a special task force presided by you will be formed to address these issues and further discussions with us would take place regarding its formulation and function. We would like to sit in a meeting with you and other members of the task force today regarding the same”.

Pant responded to the request and mentioned the fact that many districts of South Bengal are facing flood-like situations with vast areas being inundated. In this backdrop, he again appealed to the junior doctors through an email to join duties in the larger public interest and provide services to common people and come for a meeting at 6.30 pm at Nabanna Sabhaghar.

A 31-year-old second-year postgraduate student was raped and murdered in the hospital premises on August 9. Junior doctors have been protesting since the recovery of the body by observing cease-work and for the last nine days they are staging dharna in front of Swasthya Bhavan in Salt Lake.In the Supreme Court hearing on Tuesday, the court recorded that the striking junior doctors were ready to return to work provided the state fulfils the conditions for the ‘confidence-building measures agreed upon during a meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The bench also noted that junior doctors “do not get any pleasure in abstaining from work” but that they are striking because of “insecure premises” and “unsafe working conditions” which the state government is obligated to take care of.

Banerjee on Monday had held a meeting with the delegation of the medics at her Kalighat residence. The marathon meeting and preparation of the minutes of the meeting continued for five hours after which the state government agreed to most of the demands.

The Kolkata Police Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner of police (North), Director of Health Services and Director of Medical Education have been transferred as per their demand.

Banerjee told reporters after the meeting that three of the four demands that were placed by the junior medics have been agreed upon.She said that she has appealed to the medics to withdraw their strike and return to work, pointing out that a number of patients have died and several others have been denied treatment. The aspect of the safety, security and boosting of the infrastructure of the hospitals was also discussed in length at the meeting.The state government has only disagreed with the demand of the removal of the principal secretary, Health department on the ground that removal of so many officials may disrupt the functioning of the department.Adding another option in their new e-mail, the doctors said minutes of the meeting with full transcripts be recorded by both parties and handed over at the end of the meeting after all present sign them. In a little over 30 minutes on receipt of the medics’ e-mail, the state agreed to this demand.

The junior doctors reached the residence at 6.20 pm along with two stenographers who will make note of the points of the meeting.

The meeting on Saturday that was scheduled to be held between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the junior doctors has fallen through over the latter’s demand for live-streaming and videography. The state government has said this cannot be allowed because the matter is sub-judice.

Banerjee on Saturday afternoon taking a surprise step to end the impasse had visited the site where the junior doctors are staging a sit-in since Tuesday and appealed to them to withdraw their dharna and resume their work. She sought some time from the medics and assured them to examine their demands and take action if anyone was found guilty.

There have been moves for a discussion between the state government and the doctors since then but they have been getting stalled, most recently over the protestors’ demand for live streaming of the talks.