Officials refused to agree to our demands: Junior doctors say after meeting Bengal Chief Secretary

KOLKATA: Junior doctors of West Bengal Junior Doctors Front on Thursday said that the officials have refused to agree to all their demands after the meeting with Chief Secretary Manoj Pant in Nabanna held on Wednesday evening.

Speaking after the meeting, a junior doctor said, “When the meeting was going on, then the Chief Secretary agreed to accept all our demands, but after the meeting, our demands were refused as they did not focus on our demands. There were things that were not discussed; they asked us to mail. What is the point of writing mail after holding a meeting? What we wanted was not given to us, and they even refused to provide us in writing. We have submitted our demands, and our protest will continue because we are upset with the meeting”.

#WATCH | A junior doctor says, ” When the meeting was going on then Chief Secretary agreed with all our demands but after the meeting, when we were asking for minutes of the meeting, there was nothing about about our demands in the minutes…they did not focus on our… https://t.co/CUhhb5TIx0 pic.twitter.com/KCb33eOyhX

— ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2024

Meanwhile doctor Shaintini said, “Today when we went in, we were very hopeful…for 41 days we have been on streets demanding for basic human rights, justice, and a threat culture to end. We not only demanded our own healthcare facility to improve but also for patient care to improve. When we asked for the meeting, we were told that we needed to email them whatever our needs are and based on that, they would verify that email and will circle back to us with certain central directors. We right now feel very hopeless. We were very hopeful when we walked in…we want the protest to end…we are forced to continue this protest…protest will continue until all our demands are met”.

#WATCH | Dr Shaintini says, “Today when we went in, we were very hopeful…for 41 days we have been on streets demanding for basic human rights, justice and threat culture to end. We not only demanded our own healthcare facility to improve but also for patient care to… https://t.co/CUhhb5TIx0 pic.twitter.com/hdiptKcOfe

— ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2024

This came after junior doctors from West Bengal Junior Doctors Front met West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to discuss their unfulfilled demands. Earlier, the West Bengal government reached out to the junior doctors and agreed to meet them after their request.

Following the meeting with the protesting doctors on Tuesday (September 19), the West Bengal government accepted some of their demands, including the removal of the police chief of Kolkata and two senior health officials. On Wednesday, the officer in charge of Tala Police Station, Abhijit Mondal, was suspended by the Kolkata Police.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested Mondal in connection with RG Kar rape-murder case on September 14. (ANI)