The meeting between the West Bengal government and the agitating junior doctors concluded after nearly two hours on Monday night, with both sides working on finalising the minutes of the discussion, according to sources.
The delegation of around 30 junior doctors arrived at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat residence at 6:20 pm for the crucial talks. Although the meeting was originally scheduled for 5 pm, it began at around 7 pm and continued for several hours.
As per reports, the doctors submitted a memorandum listing their demands to the Chief Minister. Ahead of the meeting, Banerjee made a public appeal urging the doctors to end their strike and engage in discussions, stating, “Every issue can be resolved through dialogue.” She expressed optimism about resolving the deadlock, especially with a Supreme Court hearing on the matter scheduled for Tuesday.
Previous attempts to resolve the issue had failed, largely due to the state government’s refusal to meet the doctors’ demand for live-streaming the meeting. However, the junior doctors later agreed to a compromise, requesting a written record of the meeting’s minutes instead. The state government accepted this condition, with Chief Secretary Manoj Pant confirming that both parties would sign the minutes and receive copies. Additionally, two stenographers, accompanying the doctors, were allowed to record the minutes.
Despite the talks, the doctors remained steadfast on their five key demands. “We want a resolution but will not compromise on our demands,” one junior doctor said before attending the meeting.
Meanwhile, protests continued outside Swasthya Bhawan, the Health Department’s headquarters, where doctors have been staging a sit-in for eight days and maintaining a ‘cease work’ for 36 days. The protest stems from the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Hospital, with calls for the removal of the Kolkata Police Commissioner and senior state health officials.
Earlier in the day, the state government issued a final invitation to the protesting doctors after a previous meeting on Saturday failed due to disagreements over live-streaming. Banerjee had made a surprise visit to the protest site, assuring the doctors that their concerns would be addressed. However, tensions escalated when the doctors claimed they were asked to leave the CM’s residence after waiting for three hours.
(With agency inputs)
