Agitating doctors said they were not ready to compromise on their demands till discussions were held
Team Clarion
KOLKATA – “I came to meet you as your ‘didi’ not as the chief minister,” West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Saturday making a surprise visit to the site where junior doctors have been protesting since Tuesday with a host of demands.
The doctors protesting outside Swasthya Bhawan, the headquarters of the state Health Department, here are demanding better security at state-run hospitals and the removal of top officials over the rape and murder of a doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Mamata assured the protesting doctors that she would look into their demands and take action if anyone was found guilty.
Addressing the protesting doctors amid chants of ‘we want justice’ outside the Swasthya Bhawan in Salt Lake, Banerjee said she was spending sleepless nights as the medics were agitating on the road amid rains, a Press Trust of India report said.
“I came to meet you as your ‘didi’ not as the chief minister,” she said.
“I assure you that I will study your demands and take action if someone is found guilty,” she added, urging the protesting doctors to return to work.
She also announced that patient welfare committees of all state-run hospitals have been dissolved with immediate effect.
“This is my last attempt to resolve the crisis,” Banerjee said.
After the chief minister left the site, the agitating doctors said they were not ready to compromise on their demands till discussions were held.
