Meeting of protesting Bengal doctors, CM likely today; Hospitals in Delhi to join IMA's strike call

Doctors' Strike: The agitating doctors in West Bengal and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are likely to meet today to end the deadlock in the state.

Doctors' Strike: The agitating doctors in West Bengal and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are likely to meet today to end the deadlock in the state.

Doctors' Strike: The agitating doctors in West Bengal and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are likely to meet today to end the deadlock in the state. The doctors softened their stand on Sunday, leaving it to the CM to decide the meeting venue with them, but insisted that it should be held in the presence of media and recorded. Banerjee is on the other hand, is learnt to have agreed to a meeting on Monday at an auditorium adjacent to the state secretariat. "The chief minister has agreed for the meeting on Monday. We have invited two representatives from each medical college and hospital," a state government source was quoted as saying. Banerjee, however, is not "comfortable" with their proposal of media presence inside the meeting venue, he said. "The meeting could either be held at the auditorium or at the chief minister's office. We have passed on this message to the junior doctors," the source said. Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) had given the June 17 strike call with the withdrawal of non-essential health services across the country. IMA members will also stage a dharna at its headquarters in the national capital today with scores of doctors have decided to boycott work for a day in support of their striking colleagues in West Bengal.

Delhi: Resident Doctors' Assoc of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (#AIIMS) to go on strike from 12 noon today till 6 am tomorrow,in support of doctors strike over violence against them in West Bengal. Emergency services including Casualty,ICU & Labour room to be continued pic.twitter.com/l1V8w7NGej

— ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2019

Doctors at the Centre-run Safdarjung Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital, RML Hospital as well as Delhi government facilities such as GTB Hospital, Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital and Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital will not function on Monday. The apex medical body, IMA, said all outpatient departments (OPDs), routine operation theatre services and ward visits will be withdrawn for 24 hours from 6 am on Monday to 6 am Tuesday. Emergency and casualty services will continue to function, it said.

Delhi: Resident Doctors' Association of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (#AIIMS) holds protest march against violence against doctors in West Bengal. pic.twitter.com/A2TyjiM8PO

— ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2019

The medical body had launched a four-day nationwide protest from Friday and wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah demanding enactment of the central law to check violence against healthcare workers. (with inputs from PTI)