Maha appeals to resident docs to call off strike

Maharashtra Education Minister Vinod Tawde on Thursday appealed to the resident doctors of government medical colleges to call off their strike, saying accepted most of their demands have been accepted. "No one will be allowed to imperil patients' lives," he said. 

Additional chief secretary (medical education) Medha Gadgil had spoken to deans of all government hospitals and she was told that the strike had not affected medical services, he said. Tawde said resident doctors wanted 'bouncers' at hospitals for protection.

"We have decided to put up flex boards on Doctors Protection Act in casualty, ICU and labour wards and adequate provisions for foolproof security for doctors are being made," the minister said.

Directives had been given to senior doctors and medical superintendents to accompany the resident doctors to police stations for filing FIRs in the case of attack, Tawde said. The government was also positively considering <g data-gr-id="24">proposal</g> to increase the stipend of resident doctors, he said. "If the stipend is increased by Rs 5,000 (as demanded), the government will have to bear <g data-gr-id="23">additional</g> burden of Rs 13.70 crore. Of the Rs 342 crore budget for medical education, Rs 136 crore will be required for <g data-gr-id="22">stipend</g>," he said.