West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose
Credit: PTI Photo
Kolkata: Concerned over their deteriorating health conditions due to fasting over the past five days, West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose has urged the junior medics to end their hunger strike and advised them to continue their protest without affecting their health, a source in the Raj Bhavan said on Thursday.
Bose's plea came after a few junior doctors urged him to intervene in the crisis.
Thereafter, he went to the junior doctors at their hunger strike venue in Dharmatala and assured them of holding a peace meeting soon involving all stakeholders to address the situation, he added.
"The Governor is very concerned with the deteriorating health conditions of the agitating young medics who have been fasting since Saturday. On behalf of the people of Bengal, civil society of India and as a father, he appealed to the junior doctors on hunger strike to end the hunger strike," the official told PTI.
He told them to continue their protests without hampering their health conditions.
"Bose has promised them to hold a peace meeting with all concerned to prepare a viable action plan to end the crisis. The meeting will be held soon," he said.
The venue and time would soon be decided, he added.
"Bose during the meeting has said that the power of the people is greater than the people in power. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere," the official said.
During the meeting, the agitating young medics handed Bose over a list of their ten demands and requested a possible permanent solution to the problems.
The protesting doctors have been demanding justice for the deceased woman medic at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital besides, calling for the immediate removal of Health Secretary NS Nigam.
Their other demands include the establishment of a centralised referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges in the state, the implementation of a bed vacancy monitoring system, and formation of task forces to ensure essential provisions for CCTV, on-call rooms, and washrooms at their workplaces.
They are also demanding increased police protection in hospitals, recruitment of permanent women police personnel, and swift filling of vacant positions for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers.
The junior doctors went on to cease work following the rape-murder of a fellow medic at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
They ended their stir after 42 days on September 21 following assurances from the state government to look into their demands.