The Mamata Banerjee government cancelled the transfer order of 42 senior doctors in the state medical education service hours after it was issued by the state health and family welfare department indicating the government's indecisiveness amid intense pressure from the doctors' movement across the state, following the rape and murder of a female doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The issue came to the fore after the state health department ordered a massive reshuffle in the medical education service on Friday night, transferring at least 42 doctors, most of whom were at the rank of associate professors, assistant professors or professors.
On Saturday evening, hours after the transfer order was issued on Friday, state health secretary N.S. Nigam announced in a press conference that the transfer of 42 doctors had been cancelled, explaining that the decision had been made two months earlier and there was no hidden agenda behind it.
"The transfer process being mentioned actually began almost two months before the incident at R.G. Kar on August 9. In fact, the authorities concerned had given approval for the transfer orders well in advance. However, due to corrections needed in important matters, including the spelling of names, the issuance of the transfer orders was delayed. Nonetheless, we are now withdrawing that order as well," Nigam said.
“The decision to withdraw the order of the transfer of 42 senior doctors shows that the government has buckled under pressure. The state government has understood the intensity of the movement of the junior doctors and were forced to revoke their decision,” former general secretary of the Association of Health Service Doctors Manas Gumta said.
The transfer of the doctors had triggered widespread protest among the doctors fraternity alleging it to be a motivated move to break the throttle the movement of doctors following the rape and murder of the lady doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
'We strongly condemns @MamataOfficial @BengalGovernor unjust transfer of faculty members who supported our protest. These punitive measures will not silence our demands for justice and security. We stand united and resolute in our fight,” the United Doctors' Front Association had posted on their X (formerly Twitter) handle.
The association also condemned the state government's decision to transfer 190 women health assistants and asked the government to reinstate them.
On Saturday many protesting junior doctors gheraoed the principal and medical superintendent against the transfer of some of their teachers at Calcutta Medical College and Hospital.
However, sources in the health department said that chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who also holds the health portfolio, was not happy with the development.
“The transfers may have been pre-planned but the time of the transfer was not appropriate,” a senior official in the health department said.
The BJP said revoking of the order showed the indecisiveness of the government.