Junior doctors call off strike in Bengal

Kolkata, June 17 (IANS) The week-long junior doctors' strike across state-run hospitals in West Bengal was called off on Monday following a meeting between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the representatives of the agitating medics.

"We withdraw our strike after our meeting with the Chief Minister. The meeting has been positive and fruitful. We appeal to all junior doctors across Bengal to resume work as soon as possible.

"We have decided to give time to the state government to implement our proposals raised in the meeting," a representative of the striking doctors said at the state-run NRS Medical College and Hospital.

"We want to thank and congratulate all our friends, including the common people who stood by us during this movement. We thank the entire doctors' fraternity in the country who spontaneously extended their support and made this movement possible. We hope to maintain this unity in the future," he added.

The junior doctors said the Chief Minister has accepted all their demands and promised to take action within the next three days.

"We had a 12-point demand. The Chief Minister has accepted all of them. Everyone has seen the live broadcast of our meeting with her. Banerjee said she will take necessary steps to revamp the security and infrastructure at the hospitals as soon as possible," the representative said.

"We want to emphasise the main point of today's meeting which the honourable Chief Minister also emphasised upon. Doctor's should not be assaulted. There should be zero tolerance towards any form of assault on doctors, be it verbal or physical," he added.

The representative said a small section of the society, which used to think that they can escape even after assaulting doctors, should listen and understand what the Chief Minister said on Monday.

"She has given a clear message that people can lodge their complaints in the grievance cells in case of any irregularities but there should not be any attack on the doctors," he said.

West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi also welcomed the resolution of the ongoing crisis caused by the state-wide strike of doctors.

"The Governor is happy that an amicable settlement has been arrived at at the meeting held today (Monday) between the Chief Minister and doctors. He appreciates the initiative taken by the Chief Minister and also the junior doctors to resolve the impasse," a press release issued by the Raj Bhavan said.

Tripathi hoped that the doctors would take up the work of care and treatment of the patients as per the high ideals of their noble profession and also that the state government would take all the steps committed in the meeting expeditiously.