R.G. Kar case: Doctors' strike continues as second round of talks remain inconclusive

The second round of talks between junior doctors and officials of the West Bengal government on Wednesday, 18 September failed to break the medics' strike over the RG Kar issue, following the state's refusal to give written minutes of the meeting, the doctors alleged.

After the meeting, the medics announced they will continue with their agitation and 'cease work' movement till the government issues written directives on the safety of doctors in state-run hospitals as agreed in the meeting.

"While the talks went smoothly, the government refused to hand over signed and written minutes of the issues which were discussed. We are feeling let down and disappointed with the government's attitude," Dr Aniket Mahato, one of the agitating doctors, said.

"We will send an email tomorrow detailing our demands based on which the government has assured it will issue directives. We will continue our agitation and take a call on it if and when those directives are issued," Mahato said.

The state also refused to accept the doctors' demand to initiate a departmental inquiry against health secretary N S Nigam in the wake of the alleged rape and murder of an R G Kar hospital PG trainee.

The state capital has been rocked with massive protests ever since the alleged rape and murder of the trainee doctor and subsequent allegations of widespread corruption at government healthcare facilities and arm-twisting of students and trainee doctors, leading to demands for an action against the health secretary.

This was the second round of talks between the medics and the state government in 48 hours. The first round was held with chief minister Mamata Banerjee at her Kalighat residence on Monday, 16 September.

The Wednesday meeting, 18 September between the state-level public healthcare task force headed by chief secretary Manoj Pant and a delegation of 30 junior doctors started at the state secretariat in Nabanna at around 7.30 pm, an hour after the scheduled time fixed by the state, and lasted for over five and a half hours

The protesting doctors said they highlighted issues of their safety inside state-run hospital premises, and details of formulation and functions of the promised task force at the meeting.

The medics raised matters concerning transparency in referral systems, bed allocation to patients, recruitment of healthcare workers, and an end to the prevailing "threat culture" on campuses.

Representation of students in unions, hostels and decision making bodies of hospitals, setting up of college-level task forces, and holding of college council and resident doctors' association elections, were also raised in the meeting.

The doctors said their demands were "inextricably linked" to the concern that a gruesome crime like the one that took place at RG Kar Hospital never gets repeated.

"The government agreed that most of our demands were just and needed immediate implementation. But we were disappointed at the end of the talks when the chief secretary refused to give us a signed minutes of the meeting," a doctor said.

An unsigned minutes of the meeting released by the Bengal government after the meeting stated that the junior doctors demanded the formation of an inquiry committee against the Principal Health Secretary for alleged misconduct over the past 4-5 years, that include fostering a health syndicate.

The chief secretary emphasised a comprehensive inquiry into the state's health system is needed.

The minutes revealed that the government requested that medics send 4-5 representatives to the state task force on safety and security, but the doctors proposed a broader representation from all medical colleges.

"Both parties agreed to implement a central directive for deploying female police officers for night patrols, installing panic buttons by department, and establishing helplines for prompt intervention," the minutes read.

As on Monday, the protesting medics were accompanied by stenographers to record the minutes of the meeting.

Banerjee has been asking the medics withdraw their 'cease work,' which has been continuing for the since 9 August – when the body of the trainee doctor was found at RG Kar hospital.

The doctors, however, after the Wednesday meeting announced they will continue their sit-in before the state health department headquarters – Swasthya Bhawan – till their talks conditions were met.

The demonstration before the Swasthya Bhawan has been on for the past nine days.

Giving in to the medics' demands, Banerjee had earlier transferred Kolkata police chief Vineet Goyal and appointed Manoj Kumar Verma in his place, while also removing two senior health department officials.

Meanwhile, senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday urged the junior doctors to end their agitation and resume work.

"As a gesture of goodwill, the doctors should consider calling off the strike and work collaboratively with the West Bengal government to serve the needs of the people, and expedite the implementation of the task force's initiatives to ensure these changes are promptly executed," Banerjee said in a post on X.