KOLKATA: The second round of talks between West Bengal government junior doctors and officials to call off the strike over the RG Kar Medical College issue has failed, with the state government refusing to give written details of the meeting and doctors saying they will not call off the strike.
After the meeting, the doctors announced that they would continue their protest and continue the ‘stop work’ movement. As agreed in the meeting, the government will have to issue written directives on the safety of doctors in government hospitals.
After the talks went smoothly and the meeting ended, the government refused to provide signed and written minutes of the issues discussed. Dr Aniket Mahato, one of the doctors involved in the sit-in, said we are disappointed with the government’s attitude.
We will send an email tomorrow detailing our demands, based on which the government has promised to issue directions. Mahato said that we will continue our protest.
The state government has refused to accept the doctors’ demand to initiate a departmental inquiry against Health Secretary NS Nigam in the wake of allegations of rape and murder of a PG trainee of RG Kar Hospital.
This is the second round of talks between the medical officers and the state government in 48 hours. On Monday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held the first round of talks at her Kalighat residence.
The meeting between the state-level public health task force headed by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and a delegation of 30 junior doctors started at the State Secretariat in Nabanna at around 7 pm and lasted for about five and a half hours.
