After receiving guarantees from the West Bengal government, junior doctors in Kolkata have partially stopped their current strike. On Thursday night, the medics who were protesting said that emergency care would start up again on Saturday.
With a rally from their recent protest spot in front of the health department headquarters to the CBI office at the CGO Complex in Kolkata, the physicians will put an end to their agitation. The “flood situation in West Bengal” was another factor considered in the decision.
Nonetheless, the demonstrators have stated that they will not be working in the OT or outpatient department at this time. Only a portion of the cease-work movement will be lifted in order to provide emergency and vital services.
“We will keep a close watch on the administration after we resume our duties. We will come back stronger if we find anything out of place…We will wait for a week for implementation of all the promises made by the West Bengal government. If it remains unfulfilled we will resume our cease-work agitation,” the doctors warned.
This decision was made public a few hours after other directions pertaining to hospital and medical college safety, security, and environment were released by the state government. The list will be put into effect right now, according to the government.
“We achieved a lot during our agitation…but many things remain unachieved. We made the Kolkata Commissioner of Police resign and the DME, DHS resign. But this doesn’t mean the agitation is over. We will take it forward in a new way. We have received a directive from Nabanna after our meeting with the Chief Secretary yesterday. In the directive, we have been assured that safety and security implementations will be made, but it has not been specified when,” one of the agitating doctors noted.
In response to the physicians’ earlier requests, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee transferred Kolkata Police Chief Vineet Goyal and named Manoj Kumar Verma as his replacement. Additionally, two top health department employees lost their jobs.
