“All resident doctors are back to work but we will continue with symbolic protest by wearing black badges, bandages and, helmets. If condition worsens we will go on indefinite strike from June 17,” Amrinder Singh Malhi, President, Association of Resident Doctors, AIIMS told news agency ANI. However, the Federation of Resident Doctors Association informed that the resident doctors of as many as 14 government hospitals across the national capital will remain on strike today.
Resident doctors in West Bengal, Delhi and different parts of the country are protesting against the assault on two of their colleagues at NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata and have sought unconditional apology from Banerjee and set six conditions for the state government in order to withdraw the stir.
On Friday, doctors held protests across the country in solidarity with their colleagues in West Bengal. In Delhi, doctors from AIIMS, Safdarjung, Lok Nayak and GTB hospitals and several private hospitals went on strike, demanding security for their colleagues in West Bengal. According to reports, these doctors have also turned down Banerjee's invitation for a meeting at the state secretariat, which was called to resolve the impasse and continued with their protest for the fifth consecutive day on Saturday.
"We are not going to the secretariat upon the invitation of the chief minister for the meeting. She will have to come to the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital and deliver an unconditional apology for the comments she made during her visit to the SSKM Hospital on Thursday," Arindam Dutta, spokesperson of the joint forum of junior doctors, told news agency PTI.
At AIIMS in New Delhi resident doctors wore bandages on their face and body to protest against Banerjee’s inaction due to political motivation. Doctors across the country are demanding justice for their Kolkata counterparts and enhanced security. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has urged both the West Bengal government and doctors to end the impasse which has crippled the country’s healthcare system.
On Friday, doctors in various states including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana as well as other places stayed away from work.