Mamata gives ultimatum to striking doctors,leading to their resignation en masse

Kolkata, 13 June (HS): West Bengal Chief minister Mamata Banerjee today asked the striking junior doctors in all government hospitals in the state ‘either join their duty within four hours,or face stern administrative action’, generating huge protests from the striking medicos who refused to budge under any such threat and forcing some of them even submitting their resignation, as the overall crisis deepened further.

The Chief minister who was criticized by all sections of people for not visiting the striking doctors since the brutal attack on them by a group of unidentified miscreants at government owned Nil Ratan Sarkar Medical College and Hospital in Park Circus area on Tuesday night, and take suitable steps to meet their grievances,went to SSKM hospital this afternoon and asked the striking doctors to immediately withdraw their strike and resume duty within the next four hours.

She also threatened that if they did not obey,the authority would take stern action against the striking doctors.She even termed the gathering of striking medicos in the hospital as  that of ‘outsiders’.This, infuriated the striking doctors present there and some of them even shouted slogans like ‘We want justice’ and displayed their identity cards to the officials present there.

Moreover, in order to resume medical services at SSKM hospital to end the miseries of large number of patients who have come from distant corners of the state and had been waiting for an amicable solution to end the three day long impasse,the Chief minister ordered immediate opening of the Emergency Department of the state’s largest referral hospital and ensured the presence of enough doctors to resume the operation there.

Severely criticising the role of the striking doctors the Chief minister said  their irresponsible decision had already brought untold miseries to thousands of patients across the state who were being denied any treatment.She also described the ongoing strike as nothing but a conspiracy of some outsiders who were allegedly being instigated by BJP and Cpi-m  from behind.

‘I know that none of those who has gone on strike is a doctor and they are all outsiders’, she thundered

and reiterated that stern action would be taken against them if the strike was not withdrawn forthwith.

Bit instead of succumbing under such a threat the striking doctors present there reiterated their solidarity with  their colleagues elsewhere in the state and made it clear that unless their demand for full protection at work places was met,their protest would continue.

Later a six member delegation of the Junior Doctots’ Association went to Raj Bhavan and met Governor Kesri Nath Tripathi seeking his personal intervention to end the impasse.The Governor gave them a patient hearing.

Meanwhile as many as 20 Junior Doctors at one of the government hospitals in North Kolkata – Sagar Dutta Medical College and Hospital at Kamarhati submitted their resignation en masse to the hospital Super bringing a new dimension to the entire issue.