Can’t give timeline for some demands: Chief secretary after meeting doctors

West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant held a high-level meeting with representatives from various doctors’ associations, including the Indian Medical Association (IMA), at Swasthya Bhawan on Monday.
The meeting comes as junior doctors in the state, led by the West Bengal Junior Doctor’s Front (WBJDF), continue their protest and held a march to the Governor’s house ‘Raj Bhawan Abhijan’ in Kolkata today.
Following the meeting, Pant addressed the media, stating that the government had made progress in addressing the concerns of junior doctors.
“Seven demands out of ten raised by junior doctors have been met. Work is in progress,” Pant said. “Today, we had a 2.5-hour discussion with representatives from senior doctors’ associations. They raised various issues, which have been noted.”
Despite the government’s assurances, junior doctors have remained firm on their demands. Pant acknowledged that the remaining three demands still require some time for resolution.
“For the rest of the three demands, they were insisting on a certain timeline,” Pant said. “We cannot commit to a specific timeline at this moment. We have requested the junior doctors to withdraw their hunger strike,” he added.
Pant also clarified that there was no discussion regarding the removal of the health secretary, a point of contention among some protesters.
The government is expected to continue discussions with the doctors’ associations in the coming days as the protest movement persists.