Kolkata:

Taking steps to resolve the impasse with protesting doctors, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spoke to them over the phone on Saturday and urged them to withdraw their fast-unto-death, saying most of their demands had been met and action is also being taken on the remaining ones – barring one.  

The Trinamool Congress chief also said she would meet the protesting doctors on Monday, but ruled out the removal of health secretary NS Nigam. 

The protesting junior doctors, some of whom have been on a fast-unto-death in Kolkata’s Esplanade area since October 5, had issued an ultimatum to the West Bengal government threatening a strike across all government and private hospitals on Tuesday if their demands were not fulfilled by Monday.

Apart from strengthening security outside hospitals, setting up CCTV cameras and ensuring their safety, the demands of the doctors include elections to councils in hospitals and medical colleges, and the removal of Mr Nigam. The protests had started after a trainee doctor was raped and murdered at Kolkata’s state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. 

Saturday’s outreach began with West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty visiting the site where the junior doctors are fasting. Ms Banerjee then spoke to the doctors over the phone and said they have a right to protest but it shouldn’t affect healthcare services. 

“Most of your demands have been fulfilled, give me three to four months more to meet the rest of the demands. Regarding your demand for elections, we have to set up a process. Right now, there are several festivals, so we will have to do it after that,” she said. 

“I appeal to you to withdraw your hunger strike and rejoin work. And then we can sit and discuss. You have to understand what we can do and what we cannot… Poor people are going to private hospitals because they have Swasthya Sathi (government health insurance) and the private hospitals have reported a 40% rise in earnings.,” she added.

The chief minister also said she would meet the doctors on Monday.

“We want the chief minister to sit for a discussion and implement all our demands”, a junior doctor had said on Saturday, before Ms Banerjee’s phone call.

The agitating doctors have also planned a mega rally on Sunday to press for their demands.

Kolkata:

The ‘mass resignations’ of senior doctors in support of their junior colleagues are generic letters and have no legal value, the West Bengal government said on Saturday. Junior doctors in the state have been staging protests since the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in August and some of them are also on a fast-unto-death.

Over 200 senior doctors from the RG Kar Hospital and other government-run hospitals in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal submitted ‘mass resignations’ this week in the wake of the indefinite fast being held by some junior doctors in the state capital and Siliguri since October 5. The number of fasting doctors swelled to 10 with two of their colleagues joining them on Saturday. 

Several senior doctors have clarified that their resignations were “symbolic” and they have been treating patients, ensuring that healthcare services are not affected during the Durga Puja celebrations.

The fact that the letters have no legal standing was underlined by Alapan Bandyopadhyay, who is the chief advisor to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Addressing reporters on Saturday, Mr Bandyopadhyay said resignations are governed by service rules and they have to be sent in a certain format to be considered valid. 

“There has been some confusion recently over the so-called ‘resignations’ of senior doctors working in government medical colleges and hospitals. We have been receiving certain letters that do refer to ‘mass resignation’ as a point of reference and certain pages without any mention of the subject have been annexed to them. These annexed, subjectless papers do indeed contain some signatures without the designations mentioned,” Mr Bandyopadhyay said. 

“Resignation is a subject between the employer and the employed to be discussed in terms of specific service rules. So these press releases or these bunches of signatures of people whose identities have not been spelt out in detail in all the papers… this kind of a generic letter has no legal standing. Each page has to be signed by the individual who is tendering such an important paper and the matter has to be seen as one between the employer and the individual employee,” he emphasised. 

What Doctors Had Said

While submitting the mass resignations, some senior doctors had said they were symbolic and were meant to exert pressure on the state government to meet the demands of their junior colleagues. They had also warned, however, that they could submit individual resignations if they did not see forward movement.

Dr Sunit Hazra, an orthopaedic surgeon at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, had told news agency PTI on Wednesday that the resignations were intended to get the government to engage in discussions with the junior doctors.

“Our resignation is symbolic, aimed at prompting the government to engage in discussions. We do not want the patients to suffer. We are treating them and will continue to do so because it is our duty and we are morally obliged to do that,” he said.

Dr Hiralal Konar, joint convener of the joint platform of doctors of West Bengal, said, “This (mass resignation) has become viral among doctors after seeing the state government unmoved even when a few young doctors are on fast-unto-death. We are waiting for the state government to come forward and address the issues as soon as possible so that there is no life threat to those on hunger strike.” 

Another doctor had said that if the state government wanted, they would submit individual resignations at a later stage. He also asked who would take responsibility if something happened to the fasting doctors.

Hunger Strike Update

The total number of medics on indefinite fast in Bengal has risen to 10, including two at the North Bengal Medical College in Siliguri.

Dr Debasish Halder, a protesting doctor, said, “They are very weak and all their parameters are declining. The presence of creatinine in their urine has increased. Seven days of fasting is definitely taking a toll on their health, but it has not weakened their resolve for justice.”

The health of Aniket Mahato, a medic admitted to the critical care unit (CCU) of RG Kar Hospital on Thursday is “critical but stable”, a senior doctor told PTI. “He is responding to treatment and showing improvement in his health parameters, but he will need a few more days to fully recover,” the doctor said.

AIIMS Association Letter, And A Warning

The Resident Doctors’ Association of the premier All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi has also written to Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to express concern over the hunger strike and urge her to address the “legitimate grievances” of the junior doctor.

“The indefinite hunger strike undertaken by the members of the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF) highlights serious issues that require immediate attention. We stand in solidarity with our colleagues who are advocating for justice and a secure working environment for healthcare professionals in your state,” the letter said.

“The deteriorating health of these junior doctors is a matter of grave concern. We earnestly request you to recognise the urgency of the situation and engage in a constructive dialogue to address their legitimate grievances… Their demands, which we have carefully reviewed, are reasonable and achievable through prompt and decisive action from your esteemed office,” the association added. 

The letter also had a warning for the West Bengal government, with the association saying it could “escalate its actions” if the demands of the junior doctors are not met by Monday. 

“Should there be any further harm to the doctors on hunger strike or if their demands are not met by October 14th, 2024, we will have no option but to escalate our actions in solidarity with our fellow healthcare professionals. We sincerely hope that your government will act in time to prevent such a step, which would involve a nationwide response that could affect healthcare services across the country,” the association said.