Kolkata, October 19 (IANS). West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday appealed to the junior doctors on the mobile phone of Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to hold a fast unto death in support of their demands against the rape and murder of a junior female doctor of the Medical College and Hospital. Withdraw.
Pant, accompanied by Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty and Kolkata Police Central Division Deputy Commissioner Indira Mukherjee, suddenly reached the stage of the hunger strike of seven junior doctors at Esplanade in central Kolkata.
There the Chief Secretary contacted the Chief Minister on his mobile phone and the Chief Minister, through the speaker, appealed to the protesting junior doctors to end their hunger strike.
Banerjee said, “I request you to withdraw the hunger strike. Please come for discussion. Most of your demands have already been met. Please give me three to four months’ time. I will appeal to all the medical colleges and hospitals in various I will arrange for elections to the councils. Please call off the hunger strike.”
On the demand of junior doctors for removal of Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam, he said that if all the key officers of an important department are transferred at the same time, administrative difficulties will arise.
“We have already removed the Kolkata Police Commissioner and some other officials,” the Chief Minister said.
He said that if common people do not get medical services in government hospitals, they feel helpless. I am in favor of humanity. I also want justice. But at the same time, treatment of common people will also have to be ensured. Therefore, I again request you to end the hunger strike and return to work.
On Friday night itself, junior doctors had warned the state government that if their pending demands were not met, they would completely stop work from next Tuesday.
This appeal of the Chief Minister has come at a time when the fast unto death of a group of junior doctors against the rape and murder of their colleague at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata has entered the 15th day.
–IANS
AKS/CBT
