Kolkata: Chief secretary Manoj Pant said, “We are concerned about the health conditions of the junior doctors and through the meeting we appealed to them to withdraw the hunger strike. We expressed our concern and also requested through them (senior doctors) that they should come back, and we can work together. Our intent is very clear.”
State health secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam did not attend the meeting convened by Pant at Swasthya Bhawan.
Sources said he was busy with the preparations for Tuesday’s Supreme Court hearing.
Representatives of the recently formed State Level Grievance Redressal Committee, including doctors Sourav Datta and Yogiraj Ray, were also present at the meeting.
However, despite five hospitalisations, the junior doctors displayed no signs of backing down. On Friday, Parichay Panda of Shishu Mangal Hospital and Alolika Ghorui of Calcutta National Medical College had joined the hunger strike at the Esplanade dharna mancha while Sandip Mondal sat an indefinite strike at North Bengal Medical College, where he works.
On Monday, the dharna manch and its vicinity were teeming with doctors and volunteers. Aniket Das, a third-year student from KPC Medical College, who is part of the artwork team, said, “We are fighting for justice and I have chosen the medium of brushstrokes to raise my voice against the rape and murder of the RG Kar PGT doctor.”
Anushuya Sanyal, a volunteer, added, “"Every stroke of paint carries the weight of our frustration and hope. I am a common citizen and picked up the brush to paint an artwork for justice.”