Junior doctors resign en masse, strike continues in MP

The strike of Junior Doctors Association (JDA) continued in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday as they resigned en masse opposing Government pressure to return to work.

The resignation by the junior doctors came a day after State Government invoked ESMA to maintain hospital services across Madhya Pradesh. The doctors’ agitation in all the hospitals linked to five Government medical colleges in Madhya Pradesh has adversely affected health services.

The JDA announced its decision to resign after talks in Bhopal with divisional commissioner Kavindra Kiyawat failed.

Since, the Government has already invoked ESSMA, the agitation of the JDA was considered illegal on Monday. While talking to media persons, JDA president Dr Sachet Saxena said, "We have been left with no option but to resign. Had the Government been proactive and paid heed to our demands, this situation would not have arisen.” Resignation letters written on plain papers with a separate page of signatures were presented to local deans on Tuesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the State Government continued on its stance. Medical Education Minister Sharad Jain said that the demands of JDA would be addressed only after they return to work. Sources said that government would wait until Wednesday morning, after which arrests and legal action against absentee doctors would be initiated. Doctors might also be asked to furnish their Rs 10 lakh bond. Notably, the JDA is demanding increase in stipend and better facilities for junior doctors in medical colleges and those posted in rural outreach hospitals. However, the government’s message to the striking doctors was clear- return to work first, then talk over demands would take place. The members of JDA claimed that they have been holding parallel OPD at Hamidia hospital for the last week. But the situation is grim in the State-level Hamidia hospital. The patients who have come from different places are waiting for the operations for past four days.

Besides, the patients admitted in the hospital for different ailments remain unattended.