On Saturday, attempts to organize a meeting between the team of junior doctors and the state government were unsuccessful once more when the state refused to allow a live recording of the meeting inside the chief minister's mansion, alleging "security reasons." The administration told the doctors it was "too late," even though they eventually gave in to their demands.
The government’s efforts to resolve the impasse hit a roadblock today after the doctors insisted that their meetings with government officials be live-recorded and made public. The state government, however, rejected the proposal, citing concerns about confidentiality and decorum in official proceedings. "We want transparency in how the discussions are conducted. This isn’t just about justice for one victim, but the safety of all medical professionals," a representative of the protesting doctors said.
Medical services across the city have been severely affected, with non-emergency services suspended and outpatient departments seeing reduced activity. Patients across various government hospitals struggle to access care as doctors hold sit-ins at hospital premises, chanting slogans and demanding action.
The West Bengal Chief Minister expressed sympathy for the doctors’ concerns but urged them to resume work, stressing the importance of patient care. “We understand their grief and demands, but hospitals need to function. We are open to dialogue,” she said in a statement.
A disappointed delegation promised to keep up their stop-work protest until their demands were fulfilled. Overnight on Saturday, hundreds of junior physicians from the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front persisted in their protest in front of Swasthya Bhavan, which is close to Kolkata's Salt Lake.
Meanwhile, the CBI arrested the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital Dr. Sandip Ghosh and Tala Police Station OC Abhijit Mondal over the alleged rape and murder of a female doctor inside the hospital's seminar hall on August 9. Ghosh is already under the agency's judicial custody over financial irregularities at the hospital during his tenure.
