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End of Didi vs Doctors Battle: West Bengal docs call off week-long strike after meeting with Mamata Banerjee

Junior doctors at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, from where the protest started after an assault on two doctors, announced that they were calling off the strike and will join duty Tuesday morning.

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee conducts a meeting with junior doctors and officials, June 17, 2019. (PTI Photo)
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Doctors in West Bengal called off their week-long strike on Monday night after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee assured them of steps to scale up security at government hospitals in the state.

Junior doctors at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, from where the protest started after an assault on two doctors, announced that they were calling off the strike and will join duty Tuesday morning.  

Junior doctors across all state-run hospitals in West Bengal were on a strike, demanding adequate security in medical colleges and hospitals after two of their colleagues were brutally beaten up at NRS Hospital. The two junior doctors were assaulted on Monday night last week by family members of a patient who died in the NRS Hospital.

After a week of exchanging verbal blows and protest that turned nationwide, representatives of doctors and hospitals met Banerjee on Monday to end the deadlock.  

The doctors agreed to withdraw their week-long stir after Banerjee announced steps to scale up security at hospitals. An assurance to call off the strike came at a meeting Banerjee held with representatives of the striking doctors at the state secretariat.

"We are satisfied with the meeting," a representative of the doctors said, assuring Banerjee that the strike was going to be called off.

A formal announcement on withdrawal of the strike was made from the epicentre of the protest, the NRS Medical College and Hospital. 

A spokesperson of the joint forum of doctors told reporters that the doctors will return to work as they want to give the state government some time to implement the promises.

"Our meeting and discussion with the CM met a logical end. We temporarily withdraw from our ceasework. Considering everything we expect the government to solve the issues as discussed in due time," he said after a meeting of the governing body at the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and hospital.

"We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the CM. After an enormous movement, the meeting and discussions with our CM met a logical end. Considering everything we expect the govt to solve the issues as discussed in due time," he said. 

"We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all seniors, juniors, patients, common people, intelligentsia and medical fraternity of the country who spontaneously extended their support and made this movement possible. We hope to maintain this unity in future," he added. 

The announcement came hours after Banerjee held a meeting with representatives of the striking doctors at the state secretariat.

Banerjee assures steps to boost security at hospitals

During the meeting to end the impasse, Banerjee asked police to appoint nodal officers for security of doctors at all government hospital in the state.

The doctors' delegation apprised Banerjee of the problems they have been facing at medical colleges and hospitals and said they fear for their safety.

West Bengal health secretary, MoS Chandrima Bhattacharya and other state officials were present in the meeting, besides 31 junior doctors.

The end of the strike came as a big relief to hundreds of patients as health services were paralysed across the state for a week.

"We have decided in our governing body meeting that we will be returning to work as soon as possible," the spokesperson for doctors' forum said.

"We want to thank the chief minister for giving us some time. We want to give the state government some time to implement the promises they made to us. We also thank the common people.... We also seek forgiveness from them who have suffered the most," he said.

The junior doctors also thanked the chief minister for visiting injured doctor Paribaha Mukhopadhyay at the hospital where he was undergoing treatment.

"We are happy for that. She had promised us and went to see Paribaha at the hospital," the spokesperson said. 

Governor welcomes resolution of crisis

In a statement soon after the announcement, West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi appreciated the initiative taken by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and junior doctors.

"Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi welcomes the resolution of crisis caused by the State-wide strike of doctors consequent upon recent incidents of violence on the doctors at NRS Medical college and Hospitals. The Governor is happy that amicable settlement has been arrived at the meeting held today between the Chief Minister and Doctors. He appreciates the initiative taken by the Chief Minister and also the Junior Doctors to resolve the impasse. He hopes that the Doctors will take up the work of care and treatment of patients as per the high ideals of their noble profession and also that the State Government will take all the steps committed in the meeting expeditiously," the Governor's office said in a statement. 

(With PTI inputs)

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