Mamata Banerjee Calls Meeting With Striking Doctors At 3 pm
The Bengal government has asked the striking junior doctors in Bengal - who want to end the impasse - to meet Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat today. But there has been no word on any media presence - a condition the doctors had set. The strike, called after a junior doctor was assaulted by the relatives of a deceased patient, has spread. Following a call from the Indian Medical Association, doctors across the country are on strike, only the essential services are running. Junior medics from AIIMS joined strike after one of their colleagues was allegedly abused and threatened by the relatives of a patient last night. The matter has reached the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear a petition about the safety of doctors. In a letter to the doctors, the Bengal government said two representatives from 14 medical colleges should present themselves at the state secretariat, Nabanna. But there was no mention of any media presence. The doctors said they would talk to the government, but in presence of media. Earlier, they had put forth a six-point demand that included better security, action against those who assaulted the junior doctor and an apology from Mamata Banerjee, who had called the striking doctors "outsiders". The government said yesterday that the Chief Minister would meet the protesting doctors at the conference hall of the state secretariat in presence of the media.
