Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday urged the agitating junior doctors to withdraw their fast unto death and asked for three months time to fulfill the demands stemming from the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
"Everybody has right to protest, but it shouldn't affect healthcare services. Most of your demands fulfilled, give me 3-4 months more to meet the rest," said CM Mamata Banerjee to junior doctors. "Don't differ with your demands, request you to sit for talks with government," she added.
This comes after the agitating medics who have been protesting for nearly two months, have set a deadline for the state government to meet their demands by October 21. The doctors threatened that if their demands are nit fulfilled, they will launch a state-wide strike on October 22.
West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty on Saturday visited the protest site and interact with junior doctors observing fast-unto-death.
The doctors have been demanding justice for their murdered colleague along with a safer working environment and immediate removal of Health Secretary NS Nigam.
The junior doctors who were sitting on the fast with Aniket Mahato in Kolkata are Snigdha Hazra, Tanaya Panja and Anustup Mukhopadhyay of Kolkata Medical College, Arnab Mukhopadhyay of SSKM Hospital, Pulastha Acharya of NRS Medical College and Hospital, and Sayantani Ghosh Hazra of KPC Medical College. Parichoy Panda from Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratishthan and Alolika Ghorui from Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital joined the protest last week, taking the total number of medics on indefinite fast across the state to 10, including the two at North Bengal Medical College in Siliguri.