Bengal doctors call off strike after Mamata orders security beef-up

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Pic/PTI

Kolkata: Doctors in West Bengal called off their week-long strike on Monday night after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee assured them of steps to scale up security at government hospitals in the state. Banerjee directed Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma to appoint nodal officers for security of doctors at all government hospitals in the state.

In the meeting at the secretariat, a doctors' delegation apprised Banerjee of the problems they have been facing at medical colleges and hospitals and said they fear for their safety. Bengal health secretary, MoS Chandrima Bhattacharya and other state officials were present in the meeting, besides 31 junior doctors.

The state government, which agreed to protesters' demand of allowing media at the meeting, allowed only two regional news channels to cover the meeting. The CM informed that no doctor has been booked by the state government.

The representatives of the joint forum of doctors also sought exemplary punishment for those involved in assault on doctors at NRS Hospital on June 11. Banerjee also directed formation of grievance redressal units in all state-run hospitals as proposed by the junior doctors. She said the state government has taken adequate measures and arrested five people involved in NRS incident.

"Our meeting and discussion with the CM met a logical end. We temporarily call off our strike and will be returning to work as soon as possible. We want to thank the chief minister for giving us some time. We want to give the state government some time to implement the promises they made to us. We also thank the common people," the spokesperson for doctors' forum said.

11 June
When Kolkata doctors started the protest

Attack on doctor triggers protest at AIIMS

A junior resident doctor at the emergency ward of the AIIMS Trauma Centre was allegedly verbally abused and manhandled by the attendants of a patient late on Sunday night, following which his colleagues at the premier institute have gone on a strike withdrawing all nonessential services till Tuesday morning. The AIIMS Resident Doctor's Association (RDA) said services at OPDs and routine operation theatre, and ward visits have been withdrawn from Monday noon till 6 am Tuesday, but emergency services such as ICU, casualty and labour room services are available. The incident took place when a patient with a foot injury arrived around 11.30 pm on Sunday. The doctor asked the patient's attendants to wait as he was attending to a high-risk patient. But the attendants started verbally abusing the doctor and even manhandled him, alleged another doctor.

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