Junior doctors' demands and government's decisions taken at the meeting in Nabanna

The demands accepted by the state government and the decisions taken during the meeting between chief minister Mamata Banerjee and a team of 17 junior doctors at Nabanna on Monday

• A state-level task force will look into all complaints regarding government medical colleges and district hospitals in Bengal. The task force will have four junior doctors, a woman medical student and five senior government officials, including the chief secretary, the director general of police and the commissioner of Kolkata Police.
• Every government medical college in the state will have a committee of stakeholders
• Student union elections at medical colleges to be held by March 2025. Once the elections are held, chief secretary Manoj Pant said, the request of the junior doctors that various committees have their representatives as members can be implemented. “We want a democratic ambience to return through the elections,” Mamata said.
• The government will take the initiative to restore a healthy ambience. Mamata requested the junior doctors to take part in the process to restore a healthy environment.
• The chief secretary and the health department will ensure transparency in the college examinations.
• “Exams have to be conducted in a transparent way,” Mamata said. Nobody, she said, should be able to resort to unfair means during an exam. “If I appoint a central government agency to recheck the answer scripts of two or three years, many things will tumble out…. many more allegations will come to the surface,” she told the junior doctors.
• The principals of medical colleges have to inform the state government before taking any action against anyone. “I request the principals to please let us know henceforth before putting someone under suspension. (Let us know) what is their crime. The inquiry committee will investigate the allegations…. I don’t want to damage the academic future of anyone,” she said.
• “I will tell the principals to have an open desk, a number…. If a girl faces a problem and sends a complaint…. After seeing the complaint, talk to the girl and then send your opinion to us. We have set up a grievance cell and a task force,” the chief minister said.
• The government accepted a file from the junior doctors containing allegations against state health secretary Narayan Swarup Nigam.