"Demands partially addressed...": Junior Doctors to Continue Cease Work Despite Steps Taken by Bengal Govt.

Following a crucial general body meeting late Tuesday night, the protesting junior doctors announced that their cease work will continue until the Mamata Banerjee government addresses all their demands. They expressed their intent to engage with state authorities for further discussions after their initial round of discussion with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday. Since August 9, the junior doctors have maintained their strike in response to the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old postgraduate doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

“Due to our movement's pressure, the state government was forced to remove the Police Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner North, Director of Health Services, and Director of Medical Education. This is a partial victory of our movement,” said the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front in their statement. The West Bengal government appointed IPS Manoj Kumar Verma as the new Police Commissioner of Kolkata, replacing IPS Vineet Goyal. This came hours after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the junior doctors meeting on Monday, where the demand for Goyal's removal was raised. The Chief Minister had announced that the changes would be implemented, and had urged the protesting doctors to go back to work.

The representatives of the West Bengal Junior Doctor's Front stated that in their meeting with Chief Minister Banerjee they expressed dissatisfaction regarding the lack of action on their request to dismiss the Principal Secretary (Health). “The Chief Minister gave us a verbal assurance, but we have not seen any step in the direction so far,” they added.

The junior doctors also highlighted concerns raised by the Supreme Court about a government notification that would restrict night shifts for women doctors in state-run hospitals. They argued, “It is not possible to provide security to women by creating a gender divide.” The court underscored the government’s responsibility to ensure safety, prompting the Bengal government's counsel, Kapil Sibal, to announce potential adjustments to the notification.

"The ground reality is very different from what has been claimed in the Supreme Court. The rest rooms, toilets and the installation of CCTV cameras is far from complete," said the protesting doctors. Furthermore, the doctors emphasized that enhancing security measures at hospitals alone will not guarantee safety unless overall healthcare services are improved. They called for adequate staffing and counseling services, stating.

During their discussion with the Chief Minister, the doctors advocated for the establishment of a college-level task force to tackle these issues. “We think more discussions are needed. It is not clear how these demands will be fulfilled,” they remarked. Moreover, they added that students union elections must be conducted at the earliest to enable students representatives raise the grievances and problems faced by the junior doctors.

In addition, they stressed on the need to end the “politics of fear” in medical colleges and demanded democratic student union elections. While the Chief Minister announced the dissolution of patient welfare committees from their protest site, the doctors noted, “We got nothing in writing and there is no clarity on how these committees will be set up again.”

The junior doctors reiterated their desire to return to work but emphasized the importance of fulfilling their demands. “We want the government to hold discussions and fulfill the demands,” they stated. The West Bengal Bengal Junior Doctors Front concluded by saying that their cease work agitation will continue unless these demands are addressed by the state government.