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Medical students begin indefinite hunger strike

Staff Reporter

Indian Medical Association calls for `total medical bandh' on Monday

NEW DELHI: Medical students began an indefinite hunger strike at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences here on Sunday to protest against the Government's move to increase reservation in higher education.

Resident doctors have been abstaining from work for the past three days, affecting emergency services in some government hospitals.

Health services are expected to get worse on Monday in view of a call for a "total medical bandh" in the city given by the Indian Medical Association.

The Government has proposed to reserve 27 per cent of the seats in Central universities and institutes of higher learning for Other Backward Classes.

Around 100 medical students and representatives of resident doctors of five premier medical colleges — AIIMS, Maulana Azad Medical College, Lady Hardinge Medical College, University College of Medical Sciences and Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College — are taking part in the hunger strike.

"We will continue our hunger strike and will not attend duty," said Vinod Patro of the AIIMS Resident Doctors' Association.

The doctors are angry over the police excesses in Delhi and Mumbai and have demanded an apology from the Government and the police.

Strategy planned

Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has drawn up a strategy to ensure smooth running of health services in the Capital's hospitals in the wake of a strike by the doctors on Monday against the proposed reservation for Other Backward Classes in medical colleges. The Ministry has asked the Medical Superintendents to ensure that medical facilities are not disrupted. "Services in the government hospitals will be maintained,'' Union Health and family Welfare Secretary P.K. Hota told reporters here on Sunday after a meeting in which the situation due to the ongoing doctors strike was discussed. Mr. Hota said the Ministry had drawn the attention of medical superintendents of the Capital's hospitals to a directive of the Supreme Court that prohibits doctors from disrupting services. Medical Superintendents have been asked to convey the message to the striking residents and maintain services in the hospitals, he added.

"We have also appealed to doctors and students to not to disrupt medical services as it causes inconvenience to patients," Mr. Hota said.

Meanwhile, the Central Government Health Services (CGHS) doctors are being re-deployed in the hospitals to maintain services, while hospitals have been asked to create an emergency duty system, pressing into service senior faculty and specialists. Officials said all important wings of the hospitals would function during the strike. The Government has asked CGHS beneficiaries to also take health services from private hospitals. The strike by resident doctors is expected to cause a major disruption of health services on Monday.

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