West Bengal CM, ‘Can’t fire everyone in the entire health department’

Junior doctor holds an idol of ‘Lady Justice’ during the march named “Naya yatra”. Pic/PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday urged the junior doctors protesting the rape and murder of their colleague at RG Kar Hospital to end their fast unto death, stating that most of their demands have been addressed while rejecting their insistence on removing the state health secretary.

Speaking to the doctors over the phone during a visit by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty to the protest site in Esplanade, Banerjee said, "Everybody has the right to protest, but it shouldn't affect healthcare services. I would request you all to withdraw your fast." The junior doctors have been demanding the removal of the state Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam, besides addressing other issues.

In response, Banerjee acknowledged their frustration but said, "You know why I did not remove the health secretary. It is not possible to remove everybody in a department in one go. We had earlier removed the DHS and DME. Please rise above politics and rejoin work." "How can you decide which officer will be removed or not? Is this logical?" she questioned.

The junior doctors have been on a fast-unto-death for two weeks, demanding justice for their deceased colleague and calling for systemic changes in the state's healthcare infrastructure. So far, six doctors on hunger strike have been hospitalised due to deteriorating health, while eight others remain on an indefinite fast, demanding constructive action by October 21 to resolve the deadlock.

"I have removed the Commissioner of Police (CP), the Director of Medical Education (DME), and the Director of Health Services (DHS), but I cannot remove everyone in the department," Banerjee explained. The hunger strike began on October 5, following nearly 50 days of "cease work" in two phases, after the tragic rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee inside state-run RG Kar Medical College on August 9.

City holds 20-km protest march

People from all walks of life participated in an around 20-km-long protest march on Saturday demanding justice for the woman doctor who was raped and murdered at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The protesters, including doctors and members of the civil society, took out the march from Sodepur in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district and it was scheduled to culminate at Esplanade in central Kolkata where junior doctors have been staging a fast-unto-death for the last fortnight.

Participants raised slogans demanding justice for the woman doctor who was found raped and murdered in the medical college on August 9. Some junior doctors have been staging a fast-unto-death in Esplanade area for the last 15 days, demanding justice for the victim and calling for systemic changes in the state's healthcare infrastructure. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged the doctors to withdraw their agitation, assuring them that their demands would be looked into by the government.

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