JAIPUR: The
Medical and Health department on Thursday invoked the Rajasthan Essential Services Maintenance Act (RESMA) for three months from Sunday in the light of the in-service doctor's strike threat from December 18. The doctors are demanding the implementation of the agreement reached with them during their strike from November 6 to 12.
An official notification said government employees are restricted from proceeding on mass leave, stage protests or strike work. The provisions of RESMA will be applied in case doctors go ahead with their strike.
The government had invoked RESMA earlier too but it made no difference during the last strike.
The ongoing tussle between nearly 10,000 strong in- service doctors under the directorate of
Public Health and the
BJP government took a bitter turn when the
Health Department issued transfer orders to
All Rajasthan In Service Doctors Association (
ARISDA) president
Ajay Chaudhary and 12 other doctors in the aftermath of their strike from November 6 to 12.
The doctors have been attending to patients outside their office ever since the transfer of 12 of doctors union leaders.
Health officials said the department had called a meeting of the ARISDA representatives to discuss their demands.
However, none of them turned up for the meeting, following which the government issued the show-cause notice.
On November 28, the health authorities had issued transfer orders to 12 doctors, including Ajay Chaudhary, who had led the doctors' strike from November 6 to 12. Of these, 10 doctors are yet to assume charge of their new postings.
The doctors have been demanding hazardous service allowance, increase in rural allowance and single shift hospitals etc. Medical and Health officials said most of the demands had already been met and the remaining ones were in the pipeline.
Representative image
