Junior doctors end week-long stir in West Bengal

The junior West Bengal doctors formally announced the withdrawal of their week-long strike, hours after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met a delegation of the protesting doctors and agreed to scale up security at hospitals. The doctors will resume work on Tuesday. 

“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 government to solve the issues as discussed in due time. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all SRS, JRS, 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,” said the protesting doctors.

The junior doctors decided to call off their strike after meeting the state Chief Minister at the state Secretariat Nabanna on Monday afternoon. Under pressure from several counters, Mamata Banerjee met the delegation of junior doctors, comprising of 31 representatives. Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma, Chief Secretary Rajiv Sinha, West Bengal health secretary MoS Chandrima Bhattacharya, other state officials select and members of media were present in the meeting. 

After listening to the doctor’s demands, Mamata asked the police to appoint a nodal officer for the security of doctors at all government hospital in the state. She also directed the state officials to  avoid chaotic situations and ensure that more than two people don’t enter the emergency ward at a time.