Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced a compensation of ₹2 lakh for the families of 29 patients who lost their lives during the disruption of health services due to a strike by junior doctors. The strike followed the tragic rape and murder of a junior doctor at the R G Kar Medical College Hospital on August 9, which led a section of junior doctors to cease work in protest.
Banerjee made the announcement on social media platform X, expressing sorrow over the loss of lives. “It is sad and unfortunate that we have lost 29 precious lives due to disruption in health services because of long drawn cease work by junior doctors,” she wrote. The Chief Minister added that the compensation was a gesture of financial relief to the affected families.
The decision came a day after negotiations between the agitating junior doctors and the state government failed. Talks broke down when the Mamata Banerjee administration refused to allow the live streaming of a scheduled meeting at Nabanna, the state secretariat. The junior doctors had demanded the live telecast to ensure transparency in the discussions, a request the government denied.
While Banerjee waited at Nabanna for over two hours, the junior doctors remained outside, insisting on their demand for live streaming. The protesters, however, refuted claims by the government that the deaths were a result of their ceasework, pointing out that senior and resident doctors were managing emergency services and outpatient departments (OPDs) during the strike.
Despite the ongoing stand-off, the state government has expressed its willingness to offer financial aid to the grieving families, underscoring the severity of the situation in the healthcare sector amidst the strike.