KOLKATA: The junior doctors protesting in West Bengal have given an ultimatum to the state government: Unless it fulfils their demands by Monday or Tuesday, both senior and junior doctors of private and government hospitals will go on cease-work. The development came after a meeting of junior and senior doctors. According to the junior doctors, their colleagues are getting ill due to hunger strike but the state government has not shown any interest in meeting their demands.“The Chief Minister herself has not come to visit the junior doctors who are on a hunger strike for the 14th day,” said a junior doctor.“We are fasting for 14 consecutive days, but the chief minister did not bother to come to our hunger strike site. This is unfortunate. Why is the chief minister adamant and not listening to demands of the junior doctors?” a senior doctor asked.The junior doctors said they want the chief minister to visit the dharna site at Dharmatala and speak to them personally. “The chief secretary and health secretary did not portray the right picture to the chief minister. She was being misled. So we want her to visit the dharna mancha and speak those on hunger strike,” a junior doctor said.Enthused with the success of protests and the Droher carnival (carnival of protest), junior doctors in Kolkata are rethinking their strategy and seeking support from people.On Friday, doctors under the banner of the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front collected signatures at various places in the city in support of their movement. The protesting junior doctors also held a meeting with senior doctors in the evening to chalk out the next course of action. Meanwhile, eminent doctor Dr Sukumar Mukherjee also visited the dharna site and urged the chief minister to those on hunger strike.“So far, six fasting junior doctors have been hospitalised after their health deteriorated,” a protesting doctor said.
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