48 hrs later,strike called off

Junior doctors at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital called off their strike on Friday evening 48 hours since they stopped working citing assaults by patients relatives.

The strike was withdrawn after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee intervened into the matter and directed Principal Secretary (Health) Sanjoy Mitra to sort out the matter and restore normal services at the hospital,sources at the Writers Buildings said. The CM also holds the portfolio of health.

The junior doctors claimed that most of their demands were being looked after by the hospital authorities and expressed satisfaction that the police have arrested 11 persons who beat their colleague Suman Pal Chowdhury on Wednesday for his alleged medical negligence.

Our demands have been partially met by the hospital authorities and so we have decided to withdraw our strike. Additional police have been posted inside the college campus as per our demands, said Tapas Roy a junior doctor. Even our demand for arresting the accused has also been met,he added.

It was now been decided that two members of the patients family should be allowed to go inside the ward.

Earlier in the day,junior doctors of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital also ceased working to show solidarity with the their friends at RG Kar Hospital.

But the patients had a harrowing time today. Subir Moitra,a relative of a deceased patient,blamed the strike for the death of his kin. His condition turned critical on Thursday but there were no doctor, Moitra said.

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Most of the critical patients were sent to other hospitals even today.

In the morning,junior doctors gheraoed Director (Medical Education) Dr Susanta Banerjee and principal of the college Dr Parthajit Banerjee for at least two hours. Police had to intervene to break the gherao.

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