The six-day old strike by the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) was called off on Sunday following talks  with state Health Minister Dilip Walse-Patil.
Confirming this, a MARD spokesman said the striking doctors in all the 13 government medical colleges and hospitals will return to duty at 6 pm on Sunday. MARD state co-ordinator Ravikant Singh said the Association had “fruitful and positive” negotiations with the state Health Minister on Saturday evening.
The doctors’ association also plans to have another round of talks with Health Secretary Amitabh Chandra on Sunday. The Maharashtra government on Friday had built pressure on the striking medicos by serving termination notices to 311 of about 3,500 agitating resident doctors of government-run hospitals.
Since Tuesday, resident doctors of 13 government medical colleges across Maharashtra had struck work protesting the reduction in post graduate medical seats from 653 last year to 411 this year.
The seats have been reduced because the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) failed to get the mandatory recognition for the seats from the Medical Council of
India (MCI).