MP Junior Doctors call off strike after Govt assures 17 percent stipend hike
Bhopal: After the state's Medical Education Minister, Vishwas Sarang assured a 17 percent hike in stipend, around 3,000 junior doctors in Madhya Pradesh, who were on strike since a week over their various demands, called off their protest on Monday.
This comes after a meeting with state Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang. The minister on Sunday said the government has already agreed to give a hike of 17 per cent in stipend to them. "They have ended their strike unconditionally," Sarang stated.
The junior doctors from six medical colleges across MP were protesting since last Monday for a hike in their stipend and free COVID-19 treatment for them and their family members. A delegation of MP Junior Doctors Association (JUDA) met Sarang, seeking a written order from the state government for fulfilling their demands.
"We have ended our protest after meeting Sarang ji," MP JUDA president Arvind Meena told PTI.
Meanwhile, Federation of All Indian Medical Association (FAIMA) congratulated JDA and RDA for its "historic victory and showing great resilience".
"We thank every association who have proactively supported our call for supporting the MP doctors and have held candle marches throughout the country. Long live the doctors' unity," FAIMS said.
The development came ahead of a hearing in the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday over a petition regarding the junior doctors' strike.
The HC's bench at Jabalpur last Thursday termed the strike as "illegal" and directed the junior doctors to resume their duties within 24 hours. However, the protesting doctors then remained defiant. They had demanded that beds for junior doctors serving COVID-19 patients be reserved in separate areas in case they contract the infection, he said.
Also Read: 3000 MP Junior Doctors Tender En Masse Resignation After HC Calls Strike Illegal
They had continued with their agitation and later, all 3000 from the state tendered their resignations. With little over 60 Covid-19 patients in the Hamidia hospital, Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal administration also took a tough stand against junior doctors, and on Friday night the resignations of 28 junior doctors were accepted by the dean.
By Saturday morning, the dean, Dr Jiten Shukla had issued notice to the junior doctors for eviction from hostel. The notice also demanded the doctors deposit their bond amount.
A doctor from the government-run Hamidia Hospital in Bhopal said health services were affected because of the protest by junior doctors and In-patient and OPD services in hospitals affiliated with medical colleges in Madhya Pradesh were paralysed, reports TOI.
Earlier, the junior doctors went on a strike on May 6, but resumed a few hours later after the state government assured them that their demands would be met.
