A month after protests erupted over the rape and murder of a medical student at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital, junior doctors in West Bengal have finally agreed to meet Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The meeting, scheduled for 5 pm today at her residence in Kalighat, comes after repeated calls from the government for dialogue and a fifth and final invitation extended by the Chief Secretary.
The All India Federation of Government Doctors Association (AIFGDA) has been vocal in demanding transparency and accountability from the government. Dr. Subarna Goswami, Additional General Secretary of the AIFGDA, stressed the need for a transparent meeting, stating, “We want there should be a meeting definitely (of the doctors and the chief minister)… The meeting should be held in a transparent ambience. The junior doctors should be taken into confidence so that they can voice their demands properly and the government’s response must be documented either in videography or live streaming.”
Dr. Goswami also questioned the government’s reluctance to face junior doctors on live stream, highlighting their primary demand for timely justice in the case. “Why is the government afraid of facing junior doctors on live streaming? Our main demand is timely justice in the case. We want action against not only the rapist and the killers but also against those who tried to tamper with the evidence and misguided the investigation process and the whole syndicate of few doctors…”
While the doctors have agreed to meet the Chief Minister, they have insisted on having the minutes of the meeting recorded without video recording or live streaming. The meeting is expected to address the doctors’ concerns regarding the tragic incident at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and their demands for improved safety and security measures for medical professionals. The outcome of this meeting will be crucial in determining the future of the ongoing protests and the government’s response to the demands of the junior doctors.
