Trainee doctors protesting outside Swasthya Bhawan in Kolkata over the RG Kar hospital rape and murder case announced that they will ‘partially’ life their strike and rejoin their duties at emergency and essential services in state-run hospitals from Saturday as the West Bengal government has accepted most of their demands.The medics who have been on ‘cease work’ for the last 41 days announced that they will not provide services to the outpatient departments (OPD) across government hospitals.”Will rejoin emergency, essential services partially at state-run hospitals in Bengal from Saturday. Will take necessary steps to provide medical relief to flood-affected people in Bengal,” said the agitating doctors.”We will not work in the Out Patient Department (OPD) but will work partially in emergency and essential services, ” they said.The doctors also said they would hold a march from Swasthya Bhawan, the state health department headquarters, to CBI office at CGO Complex in Salt Lake area.”We will wait for a week for implementation of all the promises made by the West Bengal government and if unfulfilled, we will resume ‘cease work’,” the doctors said, adding that their fight for justice has not ended.Earlier in the day, after a second round of talks between agitating junior doctors and the Chief Secretary failed to yield positive results, junior doctors continued their protest at Swasthya Bhawan.Protestors were seen removing tents, bamboo sticks, and pedestal fans from the protest site in front of the building.Protestors claimed that “external pressure” was causing decorators, who had installed fans for them, to take them down.“It could be an effort to demoralise us,” said a junior doctor. “But we would like to clearly say that for a protest, we don’t need all this. We can protest from anywhere and in any possible way.”The junior doctors announced their decision to continue their protest and cease work after a six-hour meeting with government officials on Wednesday night.Despite the government’s verbal assurance, the doctors expressed disappointment as their demands were not included in the minutes of the meeting.
Source link
