5 jr docs in hosp, CS stresses on talks in meet with seniors

Kolkata: Ten days into their fast-unto-death, one more junior doctor had to be rushed to a critical care unit on Monday, taking the count of protesting doctors admitted in city hospitals to five. Chief secretary Manoj Pant once again appealed to them to end their hunger strike saying "your health and well-being are our utmost priority" and stressed on the need for talks.
Tanaya Panja, an ENT senior resident at Medical College Hospital, lost consciousness at the dharna mancha at Esplanade and was taken to the hospital where she works. Over the past four days, four other protesting doctors — Aniket Mahata of RG Kar, Anustup Mukherjee of Medical College, Pulastya Acharyya of NRS Hospital and Alok Verma of North Bengal Medical College — had to be hospitalised. While Tanaya remains critical after 200 hours of fasting, her four hospitalised colleagues are stable but under close watch.
It was in this backdrop that Pant on Monday met several doctors' organisations, including IMA West Bengal, Federations of Medical Associations, Protect the Warriors, Joint Platform of Doctors, and Service Doctors Forum. Even as the meeting lasted for over two-and-a-half hours, senior doctor representatives said they were disappointed that nothing fruitful emerged that would convince their juniors to end the fast-unto-death. At the meeting, the seniors stressed that govt meet the demands of the junior doctors that include removal of the health secretary, disbanding the West Bengal Medical Council and West Bengal Health Recruitment Board, holding student union elections and setting up resident doctors' associations at all hospitals.
Pant later told reporters, "We discussed in detail the 10-point demand of the junior doctors. Seven have already been met and work is in progress, which they will surely appreciate. For the remaining three they were insisting on a certain timeline. As these are certain administrative decisions that state govt has to take, timelines cannot be indicated. We noted the issues."
He added, "We are concerned about the health conditions of the junior doctors and through the meeting we appealed to them to withdraw the hunger strike. We expressed our concern and also requested through them (senior doctors) that they should come back, and we can work together. Our intent is very clear."
State health secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam did not attend the meeting convened by Pant at Swasthya Bhawan. Sources said he was busy with the preparations for Tuesday's Supreme Court hearing. Representatives of the recently formed State Level Grievance Redressal Committee, including doctors Sourav Datta and Yogiraj Ray, were also present at the meeting.
However, despite five hospitalisations, the junior doctors displayed no signs of backing down. On Friday, Parichay Panda of Shishu Mangal Hospital and Alolika Ghorui of Calcutta National Medical College had joined the hunger strike at the Esplanade dharna mancha while Sandip Mondal sat an indefinite strike at North Bengal Medical College, where he works.
On Monday, the dharna manch and its vicinity were teeming with doctors and volunteers. Aniket Das, a third-year student from KPC Medical College, who is part of the artwork team, said, "We are fighting for justice and I have chosen the medium of brushstrokes to raise my voice against the rape and murder of the RG Kar PGT doctor."
Anushuya Sanyal, a volunteer, added, ""Every stroke of paint carries the weight of our frustration and hope. I am a common citizen and picked up the brush to paint an artwork for justice."
(With inputs from Debasis Konar & Aarushi Das)