New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday directed the West Bengal government to take more confidence-building measures on the ground to break the ongoing impasse between junior doctors and the state government over safety and security of doctors in hospitals and medical colleges.
Apex court ordered West Bengal government to take urgent steps for formation of a broad-based monitoring committee
Expressing hope that the junior doctors will resume work once the confidence-building measures are in place, the court has ordered the West Bengal government to take urgent steps for formation of a broad-based monitoring committee to include representatives of doctors, healthcare staff, nursing staff and others at individual hospital and medical college to deal with safety and security issues, formation of a grievance redress al mechanism, formation of Internal complaints committee to deal with instances of sexual harassment at work place and setting up of counselling centres for doctors to deal with stress.
Junior doctors across the state of West Bengal have been on strike
Junior doctors across the state of West Bengal have been on strike and not been attending hospital work since August 10, after the rape and death of their colleague at the RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata.
The victim doctor is alleged to have been raped and murdered by a civic volunteer at the RG Kar medical college and hospital on the intervening night of August 8 and August 9.
During the hearing on Tuesday, senior advocate Indira Jaising, representing the junior doctors association in the supreme court said that a settlement had been arrived at between the doctors and the state government to end the ongoing strike but the doctors still had apprehensions about their security and the strike by doctors could be called off once the 40 doctors who took part in the settlement meeting apprised the general body meeting of all junior doctors.
Although Jaising refused to give a date as to when the general body meeting would take place, sources say that the general meeting could take place on Tuesday evening.
