Claiming that most of their demands are being met, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged junior doctors in Kolkata to call off their indefinite hunger strike today, October 17.
However, she rejected their demand to have the Health Secretary of West Bengal, NS Nigam.
Junior doctors in Kolkata have been protesting in demand of justice for a postgraduate trainee doctor, who was brutally raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in the city.
Banerjee iterated this to the doctors over a phone call after Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty visited the protest site in Esplanade, reports PTI.
She said, "Everybody has the right to protest, but it shouldn't affect healthcare services. I would request you all to withdraw your fast."
The doctors have been demanding the removal of NS Nigam as the Health Secretary of West Bengal, among other safety measures for healthcare workers.
Responding to the demand, Banerjee acknowledged their frustration but said, "You know why I did not remove the health secretary? It is not possible to remove everybody in a department in one go. We had earlier removed the DHS and DME. Please rise above politics and rejoin work.”
"How can you decide which officer will be removed or not? Is this logical?" she questioned the doctors.
The junior doctors have been fasting for two weeks, seeking justice for their killed colleague and fundamental improvements to the state's healthcare infrastructure.
So far, six doctors on hunger strike have been hospitalised owing to failing health, while eight others have declared an indefinite fast, requesting that the state administration take meaningful action by October 21 to end the standoff.
The CM emphasised that the physicians should end their protest and meet with her at the state secretariat Nabanna on Monday, October 21, to further address their demands.
"I have removed the Commissioner of Police (CP), the Director of Medical Education (DME), and the Director of Health Services (DHS), but I cannot remove everyone in the department," Banerjee told the doctors.
"Some of your demands need policy decisions. We will cooperate to the fullest extent possible, but it is not acceptable that you will dictate to the government what should be done," she asserted.
Asking the doctors to forget her position and treat her as their “Didi”, Banerjee appealed to their sense of duty, highlighting the impact of the strike on the state's healthcare services.
"People are dependent on you for treatment. Where will the poor people go? They are treated free in government hospitals,” she told the doctors.
She further urged, “These are your just demands, but you should serve the people."
Banerjee claimed her government has taken some steps to address the doctors' concerns.
She stated that Rs 113 crore had been earmarked for the state's health infrastructure improvement, which included 43 multi-speciality hospitals, but that additional doctors were required to staff these institutions.
She also assured the doctors that measures had been taken to improve security and protection for healthcare personnel at their workplaces.
“Please restore normalcy and we will cooperate to the fullest extent possible. It is up to you whether you want to restore normalcy or not," she said, urging the doctors to return to work while their demands are being addressed.