GUWAHATI: Junior doctors in West Bengal have called off their 41-day protest on Friday, September 20, triggered by the alleged rape and murder of a 31-year-old colleague at a Kolkata hospital.
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The doctors announced they would resume essential services from Saturday but will not attend Outpatient Department (OPD) services or conduct elective surgeries until the State government assures enhanced security measures for their safety in the workplace.
This announcement came after the West Bengal government accepted most of the doctors’ demands. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also taken the initiative to visit flood-hit areas in south Bengal, where healthcare has been critical amid the disaster. In her absence, the Chief Secretary took over negotiations and addressed the doctors' concerns.
At the final meeting on Wednesday, the state agreed to several key demands, such as the availability of on-duty rooms and washrooms for doctors, installation of CCTVs, deployment of police personnel—including women officers—and mobile police teams for night surveillance.
Additionally, a central helpline, panic buttons, and alarms are to be installed for quick response to security threats. An audit of security at all state-run medical institutions has also been ordered.
The doctors, however, reiterate that this return to work does not mean the end of their agitation. "If needed, we will begin cease-work again," a representative stated. They remain firm in their demand for a swift resolution to the rape-murder case, determined to push for the removal of the State's Health Secretary.
A march from the protest site to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office at the CGO Complex will mark the end of this 41-day protest. The impasse with the State government was set in motion for resolution earlier this week, when doctors and the chief minister met face-to-face after three failed negotiation attempts.
