Maharashtra resident doctors call off strike

The resident doctors were on an indefinite strike since Thursday after few doctors were physically assaulted by some relatives of a patient at Sion Hospital in Mumbai and CGHS in Aurangabad.

The resident doctors last evening had a detailed meeting with Maharashtra Health secretary I S Chahal, Director of Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) P S Shingare and Deans of medical colleges, including J J Hospital, Sion Hospital and KEM Hospital, over the security issues.

"The DMER has agreed to set up a security committee for each hospital within seven days and they shall review the requirements of each hospital," Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) representatives said.

"Since we got the assurance and also in view of the inconvenience caused to patients, we joined our duties after 8.30 PM last night," Yogesh Pawar, MARD President of Sion Hospital said.

"We also had a positive talk with Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Subodh Kumar on Saturday. Shingare has also assured us that the problems related with steep hike in college fees and better hostel facilities will be looked into," he said.

Patients at various hospitals in the state had faced hardships during the strike period. Departmental heads at several hospitals said over 50 per cent of their scheduled surgeries had to be postponed.

Meanwhile, police have arrested those who had assaulted the doctors in Mumbai and Aurangabad.