West Bengal: Protesting doctors partially withdraw strike
The medics resumed duties in essential and emergency services, after the state government met some of their demands.
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The junior doctors in West Bengal protesting against the rape and murder of their colleague in Kolkata partially withdrew their strike on Saturday to resume duties in essential and emergency services at government-run hospitals, PTI reported.
Their work in out-patient departments, however, remained suspended.
The 31-year-old trainee doctor was raped and murdered at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.
For more than a month, the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front has been leading protests demanding the resignation of several senior officials and an end to the “threat culture” in West Bengal’s medical centres.
On Thursday, the doctors announced that they would resume essential and emergency services from Saturday. This came after several rounds of talks with the state government.
“We have started rejoining duties today [Saturday],” Aniket Mahato, one of the protesting doctors, told PTI. “Please do not forget that this is only a partial resumption of duties.”
On September 17, the state government accepted a key demand of the protestors, and announced the removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Abhishek Gupta, Director of Medical Education Debashish Halder and Director of Health Services Koustav Nayek from their posts.
However, later that day, the doctors said that certain key aspects from their five-point demands were still unresolved and sought another...
