Bengal’s striking doctors said they were “disappointed” and that their cease-work and sit-in agitation would continue after a five-and-a-half-hour meeting that ended at 12.30am on Thursday.

The junior doctors, protesting for 40 days now, said they got verbal assurances from the state government on their demands to tackle the alleged “threat culture” in government hospitals, bring transparency in the allocation of beds, create a system to streamline the referral system and conduct elections in medical colleges.

But the government allegedly refused to put the verbal assurances on paper, the
doctor leaders said after stepping out of state secretariat Nabanna.

“The atmosphere of trust that had developed after the meeting with the chief minister at her home has been dealt a blow after today’s meeting,” Rumelika Kumar, one of the junior doctors, told a news conference outside Nabanna.

Another doctor, Debashis Halder, said: “We are disappointed with today’s meeting. The officials agreed verbally with us, but they did not include most of these in the minutes of the meeting.”

There was no formal statement from the government, represented at the meeting by chief secretary Manoj Pant, home secretary Nandini Chakravorty, director-general of police Rajeev Kumar and Kolkata Police commissioner Manoj Verma.

The junior doctors said the chief secretary asked them to mail a draft of their remaining demands and that the government would respond with suitable directives.

“Despite our disappointment we will mail our draft to the chief secretary. We will wait for their response. Till then, the cease-work and sit-in will continue. We will take the decision to withdraw the cease-work after we see the directives,” said Halder.

From separate documents shared informally by sources in the government and the junior doctors, the mismatch in their demands and the consensus points was clear.

The doctors wanted a detailed assurance and the state government appeared keen on mentioning just the bare points.

Among the demands circulated by the striking doctors, foremost was an inquiry committee to probe the health secretary’s role in “malicious affairs in the health department in the last four-five years and direct and indirect involvement in promoting health syndicate in all tiers of the health system”.

The document mentioned both sides agreed to elections to the students’ unions and the resident doctors’ association in every medical college within the next two months; executing transparent housestaffship counselling; formation of a department inquiry committee to look into the role of members of the West Bengal Medical Council who are under scrutiny for promotion of threat culture; college-level task forces with representatives from students, junior doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff; and setting up internal complaints committees, anti-ragging committees and grievance redress cells, among others.

The junior doctors’ document also mentioned that both sides agreed separate rest rooms and washrooms for on-duty doctors, adequate security personnel, CCTV with adequate surveillance and proper storage, female security personnel, proper security arrangements outside wards and OT rooms and limiting the number of visitors in wards.

Sources in the state secretariat said Rajeev Kumar, the director-general of police, informed the doctors of the details of the security audit that was being carried out in hospitals. Kumar also told the junior doctors that the details of the security audit would be shared with them seeking their suggestions, the sources said.

“The chief secretary requested representatives from the forum of junior doctors to immediately resume their duties for seamless delivery of healthcare services to the people,” said a source. “He also requested the members to submit particulars of four and five doctors who would be representatives in the task force for further follow-updiscussions.”

The doctors reached Nabanna for the meeting at 7.15pm, though the scheduled time was 6.30. They stepped out around 12.30am.

The overture on Wednesday morning came from the junior doctors who wrote to Pant at 11.19am seeking a meeting with him and members of the task force that will look into safety and security measures to be taken in hospitals. Pant wrote back at 2.50pm inviting the medics to a meeting at Nabanna Sabhagharat 6.30pm.

In the email sent to Pant on Wednesday morning, the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front said they sought the meeting to discuss about the task force whose formation was fixed during the meeting with the chief minister on Monday. The task force headed by the chief secretary will look into safety and security in hospital and colleges premises, according to the minutes of the meeting held at the chief minister’s home.

In his reply email confirming a meeting, Pant wrote: “You are aware that many districts of South Bengal are facing flood-like situations with vast areas inundated.” The email added: “We again appeal to you to join duties in larger public interest and provide services to common people.”

At a news briefing after the meeting with junior doctors on Monday evening, Mamata had also highlighted the flood-like situation and why doctors needed to resume duties in such a scenario. “There will be water-borne diseases. There will be a spurt in malaria and dengue cases,” Mamata said.

Several junior doctors said on Wednesday there was a divide among the protesting doctors. While one section wanted the cease-work to be lifted and a return to work, there was another that wanted the strike to go on till all their demands were met. “Representatives of many colleges were of the view that most of our demands have been met and we should now go back to work, fully or partially,” said a junior doctor.

Following the meeting with a delegation of junior doctors on Monday evening, the chief minister had announced the removal of Kolkata Police commissioner Vineet Goyal. From the health department, she announced the removal of the director of medical education and the director of health services. The junior doctors had sought their resignation. Government orders transferring them out of these posts were issued on Tuesday. Mamata did not agree to the junior doctors’ demand of removing the health secretary.