West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has invited protesting doctors to meet her on Monday and urged them to end their hunger strike and resume their duties. A representative from the protesting junior doctors stated, “The Chief Secretary and Home Secretary met with us, and we spoke with the CM over the phone. She has invited us to Nabanna for a meeting on Monday at 5 p.m. The Chief Minister is asking us to return to work because the health infrastructure is suffering. We want her to address our demands first, and then we will consider returning to work. We hope she understands our concerns and fulfills them after the meeting.”
The protesting doctors confirmed their participation in the meeting scheduled with CM Mamata Banerjee. “We want to inform you that our health workers and some doctors have returned to work, but a few of us continue our hunger strike to advocate for 10 demands. We will attend the meeting with CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday at 5 p.m.,” another junior doctor said.
Chief Secretary Manoj Pant stated that the government is responding to the directions given by the Chief Minister, indicating that a meeting with the protest leaders is planned for Monday.
The junior doctors have been on hunger strike in solidarity with the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front for the past 324 hours, following the tragic incident involving a fellow resident doctor who was raped and murdered at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. On October 15, the Indian Medical Association announced a nationwide fasting event organized by the IMA Junior Doctors Network in support of the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front.