The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Junior doctors call off strike

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Wednesday, Nov 18, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Junior doctors call off strike

Special Correspondent

APJDA and State government reach an understanding

Medicos to attend all regular and Arogyasri duties with immediate effect
High Court judges dealing with the petition on strike issue stern directions

Hyderabad: Junior doctors in the State called off their two-week-long strike from midnight on Tuesday following an understanding reached between their leaders and the government at the end of an hour’s talks with Medical Education Minister P. Sudershan Reddy at the Secretariat.

The understanding reached between the government and the Andhra Pradesh Junior Doctors Association (APJDA) was that a 70 to 80 per cent stipend hike would be offered to super specialties and Post Graduate doctors and by 40 per cent to MMBS internees, both with effect from January 1, 2010.

Election code

A formal announcement of the accurate figures related to the stipend hike, however was held back in compliance with election code in force in view of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections.

Amidst claps, APJDA leaders, the Minister and J. Satyanarayana, Principal Secretary Health, announced success of the talks while S. Nagesh and Asif Haneef, convenor and co-convenor respectively of the APJDA said they would attend all regular and Arogyasri duties with immediate effect.

Hours before the talks, the government had invoked Maintenance of Essential Services Act (ESMA) and imposed a ban on strike, declaring the services by junior doctors as essential service under the Act. The judges in the High Court dealing with the petition on the strike too took a serious view and issued stern directions.

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