MARD pulls back, strike withdrawn

MUMBAI, Dec 5: Resident doctors today called off their 14-day strike following a meeting with state Health Minister, Digvijay Khanvilkar. ...

MUMBAI, Dec 5: Resident doctors today called off their 14-day strike following a meeting with state Health Minister, Digvijay Khanvilkar. The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors MARD, which was spearheading the agitation for central pay parity has finally settled for the pay package earlier offered by the government, ie, a hike of Rs 2,500 for junior resident doctors and an increase of Rs 4,000 for senior residents. According to the organising secretary and spokesperson of MARD Dr Rajas Deshpande, the state government will implement the hike with retrospective effect from October 1, 1999.

Resident doctors had launched their state-wide agitation on November 22, demanding parity in pay scales with their counterparts in central government medical institutes. MARD had demanded Rs 11,000 for junior resident doctors and Rs 13,000 for senior residents. The government on the other hand had offered a 55 per cent increase in their wages, which the doctor8217;s association has now accepted.

The decision to call off the strike was taken after a general body meeting of resident doctors late today, Dr Deshpande said. MARD representatives said the doctors will also been given an increment of Rs 500 with effect from January 1, 2000. However, Medical Education and Drugs Department Secretary T C Benjamin stated that this hike Rs 500 was merely routine. 8220;The hike is linked to the inflation index,8221; Benjamin said. Dr Dinesh Kabra, MARD core committee member said, 8220;The hike of Rs 500 will be in the form of Dearness Allowance. However, Benjamin added: 8220;We haven8217;t deviated from our original offer, nothing additional has been given.8221;

Dr Deshpande further stated that the government has accepted other conditions put forward by MARD, including an assurance not to hike the tuition fees and also no cut in the number of residents.

Refusing to comment on whether the stipend will figure in future discussions, Benjamin said that the government will be meeting the residents doctors every two months.

The doctors8217; workingand living conditions will be discussed during these meetings, he added.

MARD8217;s decision to call off the strike follows a day after the government announced strict disciplinary measures, including serving termination notices to 476 unregistered doctors across the state. Registered doctors had also been threatened with expulsion from colleges. 8220;If the residents report to work on Monday morning no action will be initiated,8221; Benjamin stated. The government has also agreed to pay residents their stipend for the strike period, Dr Kabra said.

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The 14-day strike had thrown the services of 11 government and three municipal hospitals out of gear. Dr Rajas Deshpande admitted that MARD was not very happy with the deal. But, he said, they had no other option and that they didn8217;t want the strike to break.

Today8217;s general body meeting also saw mixed reactions; 8220;Many protested as our demand had been central parity,8221; Dr Deshpande said. Finally however it was decided to accept the government8217;s offer.

REmarked V L Deshpande, state director of medical education and research: 8220;It was in public interest that the strike was called off.quot;

Dr Lalit Kapoor of the Association of Medical Consultants AMC, hoped that the government would be sincere about giving a better wage structure to the doctors. He said resident doctors are as good as government employees and that the Fifth Pay Commission should apply to them as well. He also said that unless the government takes serious steps to improve the residents8217; pay there would be more strikes in the future.