West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday appealed to the junior doctors to lift their strike that entered the fifth day and has crippled healthcare services in the state.
“We have taken all the reasonable measures made by them, we will take other reasonable measures if they have any,” chief secretary Malay De said at the beginning of the press conference at Nabanna this evening. It was clear that De was focussing on the word “reasonable”.
Banerjee said that the state had power to impose the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), or file first information report against the agitating doctors. She said that several state governments – including the BJP governed Gujarat and Rajasthan, Aam Admi Party-led Delhi – had imposed ESMA when doctors were agitating and the health services had been hit.
“But we aren’t taking those steps because we don’t want the career of young professionals to be affected by legal actions,” Banerjee said.
She said the government had taken steps from the very first day that the agitation had started. “I didn’t say this earlier… when Chandrima (Bhattacharya, MOS health) went to NRS Hospital, I wanted to speak with the striking doctors over phone, but they did not want to discuss anything with me. I have not disclosed this insulting episode earlier,” Banerjee said.
She said that she had to rush to SSKM Hospital two days ago on hearing that some patients in critical condition were not getting treatment. “When I went there, I was pushed. Some people shouted slogans, and the attitude was filthy,” she said.
Banerjee added that she had waited to meet junior doctors for five hours at Nabanna – the state administrative headquarters – on Friday to discuss the matter and was told they would come and meet her the following day. “But today also, they did not turn up,” she said, adding that it was a matter of pride to be called to the government headquarters for a meeting. “It is the highest place to discuss matters,” she said.
The doctors have been on strike since Tuesday after one of them was beaten up by relatives of a 75-year-old patient who died at NRS Hospital. The relatives have alleged that the death occurred due to negligence. Junior doctors had earlier demanded that the persons responsible for the attack should be arrested.
Five persons have been arrested and slapped with non-bailable charges. The government has also taken several measures to beef up security inside hospitals, including more CCTV coverage. Banerjee said that the state health secretary, Kolkata Police Commissioner and Director of Medical Education, had all gone and met the doctors who are on strike, apart from the MOS health Chandrima Bhattacharya.
The CM said that coercive action will not be taken, and “those willing to work” can join work and would be given police protection. “It is illegal to stop those who are willing to work,” she said. “Their legitimate demands have been met with, and they should get back to work because the poor people are suffering.” The CM said that some junior doctors had come to meet her and told her they were willing to join work. Asked if she would visit the NRS Hospital as that is what the doctors on strike have been demanding, Banerjee said: “I will decide that, I won’t let media houses decide what I should do.”
Meanwhile, at NRS Hospital, the junior doctors said that the CM “had lied” and that no junior doctor had gone to meet her. They said that they would stick to their demand that the CM will have to go and talk to them at NRS Hospital premises.
