Kolkata doctors call off protest, to resume essential services from Saturday

The junior doctors, protesting against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, will resume essential services in hospitals from September 21.

They called off the strike after 41 days of protesting. Doctors will conduct a rally from Swasthya Bhawan to CBI office today at 3 pm, urging the CBI to expedite the investigation into the Kolkata rape-murder case.

“We are calling off the protest from here and will do a rally till CBI office today at 3pm. CBI needs to expedite the case of murder and rape. We will get back to work on Saturday as there is a flood, and we need to help people. But there are dharna manchas at all our medical colleges where we will sit as well. We will start all our essential services from Saturday. Everything under essential services will be taken care of,” the protesting doctor said.

The development followed after they submitted a draft outlining the key points from their discussions with the West Bengal government to Chief Secretary Manoj Pant on Thursday. They are now awaiting the state’s response to their proposals.

The second round of meetings between the state public healthcare task force, led by Pant, and a delegation of 30 junior doctors took place at the state secretariat, Nabanna. The first round was held at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat residence on Monday. The government has accepted a key demand of junior doctors that the infrastructure of state-run hospitals should be developed.

West Bengal has been shaken by massive protests after the rape and murder of a trainee doctor and subsequent allegations of widespread corruption at government healthcare facilities.