Mamata vs. Medics: Why Kolkata Doctors Won't Back Down Despite Two Rounds Of Talks

Kolkata: The ongoing strike by junior doctors in West Bengal remains unresolved following the second round of talks with the West Bengal government. The discussions, held on the 40th day of the strike, ended without a breakthrough, leaving the doctors dissatisfied and determined to continue their protest for the rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.The meeting, held at the state secretariat on Wednesday, was led by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, contrasting with the previous session chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Despite the government's verbal agreements on several issues, the doctors expressed frustration over the lack of formal written minutes from the talks. "We are not happy with the outcome of the meeting," a doctor stated after exiting the meeting at Nabanna. "Although the state government agreed with a lot of issues regarding safety and security in hospitals, they did not give us any concrete assurances."The government later released unsigned minutes of the meeting, which noted that the junior doctors demanded the formation of an inquiry committee against the Principal Health Secretary for alleged misconduct, including the creation of a health syndicate over the past 4-5 years. The doctors also called for broader representation from all medical colleges in the state task force on safety and security, rather than just the 4-5 representatives suggested by the government.The minutes revealed that both parties agreed to implement measures such as deploying female police officers for night patrols, installing panic buttons in departments, and establishing helplines for prompt intervention. However, the doctors remain concerned about the persistent threat culture in state-run hospitals and have called for concrete actions before resuming work.Earlier, the state government responded to the medics' demands by transferring Kolkata Police Chief Vineet Goyal and appointing Manoj Kumar Verma as his replacement, along with removing two senior health department officials. Despite these concessions, the doctors have maintained their sit-in protest outside the state health department headquarters, Swasthya Bhawan, and will continue their agitation until their conditions for talks are met.With inputs from PTI