The centre should immediately resolve the Pan India docters’ strike. Mamta should cooperate

The docters strike started from Kolkata West Bengal after some doctors were thrashed by the relatives of a dead patient, has now assumed an all India proportion with doctors of Delhi, Bihar, Maharashtra, Pune and several other states going on strike, though not fully but partially wearing helmets and black badges thus protesting against the increasing attacks on doctors and asking for their permanent security during duty hours.

The Indian Medical Council has issued the call for strike nationally. The union Health minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has written to the chief minister of West Bengal Mamta Bannerjee to open a dialogue with the striking docters and resolve the issue forthwith assuring the docters of their full safety and security and also demanding stern action against the erring relatives of the deceased patient who’d physically attacked the docters of the Kolkatta NRS hospital blaming them of utter negligence and failure to revive the life of the patient.

The union health ministry has also issued an advisory to the Trinamul Congress government of West Bengal to resolve the impending impasse and arrest the gulty.

On the other hand the West Bengal CM Mamta Bannerjee has refused to take any stringent punitive actions against the striking doctors of entire government Hospitals of West Bengal under ESMA ( Maintenance of essential services act) as she do not want to destroy the career of the medical practitioners of her state but has requested them to withdraw the strike.

The striking docters on the other hand has asked the chief minister to hold direct dialogue with the striking doctors in the open session that talking with few representatives of the protesting doctors within four walls.

It may be recalled that the relations between the West Bengal government led by Mamata Banerjee and the centre are already strained with the BJP led NDA government allegedly standing with the striking doctors of West Bengal as well as at the pan India level.

Today is the third day of the strike. Ms Benerjee is already at loggerheads with the prime minister Narendra Modi and the union Home minister Amit Shah since the general election campaigning.

There had been lot of violence between the workers of TMC and BJP in West Bengal pre and post election claiming several lives of the workers of both the parties accusing each other for perpetrating the violence n killings.

The BJP leadership had blamed the TMC government of misusing the police to avenge the enmity with the BJP workers through use of force and perpetrating violence in the state. The state’s governor Kesri Nath Tripathi, formerly a senior BJP leader has also met the union home minister Amit Shah and apprised him of the latest law and order situation in West Bengal.

He had also convened an all party meeting on this issue to take rest of the opposition into confidence on the incessant killings and the breakdown of law and order situation in West Bengal. But Mamta seemed to be hardly worried saying that such central advisories to states are a common feature.

She even went to the extent of saying in one of the public meetings that she is even ready to give up her government but would go to any extent to protect the minorities in her state.

The BJP has won 18 seats in West Bengal at the hustings and raised its tally by 16 Lok Sabha seats as compared to 2 in 2014.

What I mean to say conclusively is that politics should not enter in the docters’ strike issue and the union government led by BJP as well as the trinamul Congress govt of West Bengal should in all earnestness keep the interest of millions of patients in mind and resolve the issue at the earliest keeping aside the narrow political differences.

Thousands and lakhs of patients lives undergoing treatment for critical illnesses is in jeopardy due to this strike in AIIMS, Ram Manohar Lohia, Lady Hardinge College and several other government hospitals of the country including those in Bengal.

Health priority is a central subject and the newly elected BJP led NDA part 2 government has a major responsibilty to come to the rescue of lakhs of patients suffering badly due to this ongoing docters strike.

Let’s see whether the government led by prime minister Narendra Modi takes a positive lead in this strike or not. What’s your take friends?