"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.
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medical body, IMA, said all outpatient departments (OPDs), routine operation theatre services and ward visits will be withdrawn for 24 hours from 6 am on Monday to 6 am Tuesday.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.
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)