The crucial meeting between representatives of 12 doctors' associations in West Bengal and Chief Secretary Manoj Pant at Swasthya Bhavan here on Monday concluded without any resolution as the state government was reluctant to set a timeline to resolve the deadlock, sources said.
The absence of Health Secretary NS Nigam was questioned by the doctors' representatives, who urged Pant to visit the fasting junior medics and speak with them directly, they added. Government sources said Nigam has gone to New Delhi to attend the Supreme Court hearing on the RG Kar issue scheduled on Tuesday.
"The meeting was unproductive. We requested the state government to send someone — preferably the highest-ranking official — to engage with the young doctors who are fasting. However, the Chief Secretary indicated that he could not provide any deadlines," Dr Kaushik Chaki, president of the West Bengal Doctors' Forum, told PTI.
Speaking to reporters later, Pant mentioned that he had urged the representatives of the West Bengal Doctors' Forum to encourage their junior colleagues to end their hunger strike immediately.
"We had a detailed discussion lasting about two-and-a-half hours. Various concerns were raised and we took note of them. Regarding the demands of the junior doctors, we discussed them thoroughly. Out of the 10 demands, seven have already been addressed," Pant explained.
"For the remaining three demands, they were requesting specific timelines. These are administrative decisions that the state needs to consider, so we cannot provide a deadline at this point. We assured them that we have noted their issues and grievances. We urged them to persuade the junior doctors to withdraw their hunger strike, as we are concerned about their health and well-being," the bureaucrat added.
"Let them return so we can work together toward our common goals. Our intentions are clear," Pant said.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary was accompanied by Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty and senior officials from the state health department.
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