Junior Doctors in Kolkata Protest Against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
On Friday, junior doctors in Kolkata expressed their disappointment with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for rejecting their request to live telecast a meeting and for not meeting with them. They argued that their request was reasonable, as many parliamentary and administrative meetings are broadcast live.
Dr. Anustup Mukherjee, one of the protesting doctors, explained that they were asked to leave their electronic gadgets outside the meeting hall, preventing them from recording the proceedings. He stated, “If all parliamentary discussions can be live telecast, if even the Chief Minister herself encourages live telecast of all her administrative meetings, then perhaps our request was not unjustified.”
Meanwhile, police sources reported that CBI officials, accompanied by central forces, visited the house of a victim from RG Kar Medical College Hospital. The victim’s family was later taken to the hospital by the CBI team.
The protesting doctors denied allegations that their strike disrupted health services. They emphasized that senior faculty members were working to keep healthcare services running and that the healthcare system should not rely solely on trainee doctors.
Earlier, the state government announced financial relief for the families of those who died, allegedly due to health service disruptions caused by the junior doctors’ strike related to the rape and murder of a trainee doctor.
Dr. Akil Ashraf, another protesting doctor, shared their frustration over waiting for hours outside the Nabbana (State Secretariat) only to find the doors closed. The doctors have written a four-page letter to President Droupadi Murmu, seeking her intervention in the case. Copies of the letter were also sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and Union Health Minister JP Nadda.
The letter stated, “We humbly place the issues before your esteemed excellency, as the head of state, so that our unfortunate colleague who has been the victim of the most despicable crime shall receive justice, and so that we, the healthcare professionals under the West Bengal Health Department, may be able to discharge our duties to the public without fear and apprehension.”
Doubts Revealed
Junior Doctors -: Junior doctors are medical professionals who have completed their medical degree and are now working in hospitals to gain more experience.
Kolkata -: Kolkata is a big city in the state of West Bengal, India. It is known for its rich culture and history.
Chief Minister -: A Chief Minister is the head of the government in an Indian state. They make important decisions for the state.
Mamata Banerjee -: Mamata Banerjee is the Chief Minister of West Bengal. She is a political leader and the head of the Trinamool Congress party.
Live telecast -: A live telecast is when an event is shown on TV or the internet as it is happening in real-time.
Parliamentary meetings -: Parliamentary meetings are gatherings where elected officials discuss and make laws. Sometimes these meetings are shown on TV.
Administrative meetings -: Administrative meetings are gatherings where government officials discuss how to manage and run different services and departments.
Strike -: A strike is when workers stop working to protest against something they think is unfair. They do this to get their demands met.
Senior faculty members -: Senior faculty members are experienced doctors and teachers in medical colleges and hospitals. They help train junior doctors and manage healthcare services.
President Droupadi Murmu -: Droupadi Murmu is the President of India. The President is the head of the country and has important ceremonial duties.
Intervention -: Intervention means getting involved in a situation to help solve a problem or make things better.
