Govt relaxes its ultimatum by 48 hrs

Dr V L Deshpande, Director of Medical Education and Research (DMER), said the Ambedkar Medicos Association, which constitutes 34 per cent of resident doctors, had given in writing to the government that its members were willing to accept the pay hike and withdraw from the strike.

Since the association needed time to inform all its members in different parts of thestate, it was decided to extend the deadline for all resident doctors to 8 am on December 4, Dr Deshpande said. In return, the government has agreed to fill up all vacant posts of medical officers, he added.

However, refuting the government’s claims, the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) organising secretary and spokesperson Dr Rajas Deshpande claimed office-bearers of the Ambedkar Medicos Association had given MARD an assurance they would not join duty on their own. He said MARD had received a note from the Ambejogai-based association stating it had agreed in a general body meeting this morning to carry on with the strike.

On the other hand, the state government has claimed several residents have broken away from MARD to resume work and more are on their way back to work. “As of now, we have 94 residents working in government hospitals,” Medical Education and Drugs Department Secretary T C Benjamin said. This number includes in-service resident doctors who are doing theirpost-graduation after joining government service. Further, 17 residents joined duty today, he added, including those in corporation hospitals. Dean of Sion Hospital, Dr A R Fernandes, told Express Newsline

four resident doctors resumed duty today.

MARD, however, maintained not a single resident had joined duty in any part of the state. Dr Deshpande also said MARD did not accept any extension of the deadline. “Whether it is two days or two years, the strike will go on,” he said.

The government is also stressing on the disciplinary action that will be taken if residents do not join work as per the deadline. “First, we will issue them a notice and then take action,” Benjamin said. He also stressed that the “fact that they took part in an illegal strike” would be mentioned in the experience certificate of the residents.

Meanwhile, the Government Dental College Students Association has been on an indefinite strike since November 29 to demand a pay hike for interns, post-graduate students andclinical assistants. According to Dr Sunil Kothawar, general secretary of the association, while the number of patients at dental hopsitals in the state has increased, salaries of the students have not been hiked by the government. Therefore, about 400 students are on strike, he added.

As a result, patients at the three dental colleges in the state are being managed by full-time doctors, whose number is not adequate for the large turnout, Dr Kothawar said. In a related development, students of Nair Dental College also went on a token strike today to demand Central parity for dental residents and interns.