News Mania / Piyal Chatterjee / 22nd October 2024
After meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the junior physicians who had been demonstrating in West Bengali hospitals called off their 15-day hunger strike on Monday. The doctors were demonstrating against the rape case at RG Kar Hospital.
As their “fast-unto-death” over the alleged rape and murder of a female doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital persisted, a group of at least 17 junior physicians met with Chief Minister Banerjee to discuss their different demands.
“In today’s meeting (with the CM), we did get the assurance of some directives, but the body language of the state government was not positive. The common people have wholeheartedly supported us. They, as well as the parents of our deceased sister (RG Kar hospital victim), have been requesting us to call off the hunger strike, keeping in mind our deteriorating health,” the doctors told PTI after the meeting.
Today marked the 15th day of the hunger strike, which was a component of their demand for healthcare reform and justice. Discussions on a number of demands made by the protesting doctors in the RG Kar rape and murder case, including the pervasive “threat culture” in the state’s hospitals, took place during the most recent meeting between the chief minister and the protesting doctors, which was live-streamed per the medics’ request. The meeting lasted more than two hours.
After the trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar hospital in Kolkata was allegedly brutally raped and killed, there were widespread demonstrations throughout West Bengal. On August 9, the deceased was discovered dead in the college’s seminar hall. “I am hopeful this time everything will be solved,” West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar told about the junior doctors’ meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
