New Delhi: Resident doctors in Maharashtra have decided to go on an indefinite strike across the state from Friday, October 1, until their demands are met. While emergency medical services will continue, outpatient services will not be provided, reports said.
The resident doctors in the state have been demanding a tuition fee waiver for postgraduate medical students, better hostel facilities in government medical colleges and COVID incentives for doctors. They alleged that they have been appealing to the state government to address their grievances for the past five months, but no response has been forthcoming. Hence the indefinite strike.
“Our primary demand is academic fees should be waived off. Secondly, the hostel conditions should be improved as they are not good throughout Maharashtra. Third, TDS should not be deducted from the stipend of resident doctors of BMC hospitals. The government hospitals throughout Maharashtra have not received the COVID incentives. They should receive the incentive,” LiveMint quoted Dr. Akshay Yadav, member of Maharashtra State Association of Resident Doctors, as saying.
Meanwhile, a meeting between resident doctors and state government – represented by education minister, Amit Deshmukh, and finance minister, Ajit Pawar – is underway to discuss the issues being raised by doctors. The doctors said unless they receive a written assurance from the government on attending to their demands, they would not call off their strike.
“If we get a positive result in the meeting, we will resume our duties. If no results come, our strike will continue indefinitely and it will be severe going forward,” said Dnyaneshwar Dhobale Patil, president of Maharashtra State Association of Resident Doctors.