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Maharashtra resident doctors face action; determined to continue strike

Special Correspondent

Government is selectively sending termination notices, alleges doctors' association

— PHOTO: VIVEK BENDRE

UNDAUNTED: Striking doctors demonstrate in Mumbai on Saturday.

MUMBAI: The Government and the resident doctors in Maharashtra are on a collision course, with the doctors determined to continue their strike, even though termination notices have been sent to many of them.

"The ball is in the Government's court," said a representative of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD). Hundreds of MARD members on Saturday staged a protest at Azad Maidan in support of their demands, which include increased stipend, better working conditions and security. Attacking the media for presenting a distorted version of the strike, many doctors said they had treated many people on Friday in out patient departments they had set up outside public hospitals.

`Notices illegal'

Dr. Shrikant Pandit, president of MARD, said: "We are ready for talks with the Government. The termination notices are illegal and it can only result in intensifying the agitation." He clarified that their main demand was not the stipend but the filling of vacant posts in government and municipal hospitals. About 50 per cent of the vacancies are not filled. For instance, at the Bandra Bhabha Municipal Hospital, of the 104 posts, only 64 are filled. The other demands include security and regulated working hours.

The MARD said the Government was selectively sending termination notices to resident doctors and if they really wanted to take action, all the doctors should be sent notices. Dr. Ajay Ovhal, general secretary, Central MARD, said that when the doctors went on strike in 1999, an agreement was signed to increase the stipend, among other issues. However, the Government had broken the agreement by reducing the number of postgraduate seats by 30 per cent.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has sent show cause notices to all 1,425 resident doctors in municipal hospitals in Mumbai and termination notices to 150 registered doctors and 150 unregistered doctors. All over Maharashtra, the Government has sent termination notices to 320 registered and 70 unregistered doctors working in government hospitals. There are totally 3,073 doctors who are on strike, according to Mr. Suresh Shetty, Minister of State for Medical Education. He held a meeting with top civic and government officials on the issue. There are 3,576 resident doctors in the State.

Mr. Shetty told the media that he was willing to sign an agreement with MARD if that was what they desired. He said residents were the backbone of the public health set-up. He clarified that as a policy, the government had stopped recruitment and it was true for all departments. However, all teaching posts will be filled up. He said action would continue against the doctors as long as they were on strike. All the unregistered doctors were terminated from service, while the registered ones would be de-registered from the university, he said.

The Government has signed two agreements with MARD and there was no reason why it could not do so again, said a spokesperson for MARD. Clarifying that the Government had only given a written statement on the minutes of the meetings held between the two parties, Dr. Ovhal said that if the Government was willing to sign an agreement on these terms, the doctors were willing to call off the strike. "A letter from the Government with assurances to increase the stipend is not an agreement," he said.

Support from outside the State

Support for the strike has come from resident doctors in other parts of the country, including New Delhi and Andhra Pradesh. Doctors also complained that the central residency scheme of the Medical Council of India was not implemented and even basic facilities were denied to them in hospitals.

The situation in most government and municipal hospitals is that they are totally dependent on residents, which is why the strike has affected services badly.

Dr. Nitin Gosewade, vice-president, Central MARD, said he was among the 300 doctors served termination notices from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

The notices were just pasted on the doors of the hostels. He was asked to resume duty within four hours, failing which he would be reported to the University of Mumbai which would be asked to de-register him as a post graduate student.

His appointment would also be terminated and he was directed to vacate his quarters within four hours. This notice was sent at midnight on March 2.

On February 28, the Government, after a meeting with MARD, decided to strengthen security in hospitals, and set up a committee, including government officials and MARD president, which will submit a report to the Government on improving the living conditions of the doctors, working hours, library facilities and a health insurance scheme.

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Maharashtra resident doctors face action; determined to continue strike

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