Nagpur: Resident doctors on Wednesday put off their mass leave
agitation till noon on Thursday following assurances from the district collector over some of their demands. On Tuesday, the
residents at
IGGMCH had issued an ultimatum to the administration of going on mass leave if their demands were not met.
On Wednesday,
GMCH residents too threatened to stop
Covid duties from 6pm but later withdrew the agitation.
Authorities of both the
medical colleges said the issues were resolved and none of the residents went on leave. The district collector provided additional residents from Government
Ayurveda College for Covid duties. Beside manpower, the residents demanded
fee wavier for the
academic year, exemption from PG thesis submission and diverting patients not requiring tertiary care treatment to civic-run isolation facilities among others.
The agitation was planned in solidarity with resident doctors from across the state, especially those at
Nair Medical College in Mumbai.
Under the aegis of Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (
MARD), the residents had put up different demands before their colleges.
IGGMCH’s MARD vice-president Dr Asif Patel said, “We have extended our mass leave till noon on Thursday. The collector had called us last night and assured us to provide additional medical officers from Ayurveda college. But we are waiting for similar assurance from Nair Medical College as our counterparts are bearing the brunt of Mumbai Covid situation,” he said.
Dr Patel added that the MARD’s purpose is not to hamper services. “Our demands are legitimate and long-pending. We will ensure Covid patients are not affected but, at the same time, our demands must be fulfilled. We haven’t got any academic exposure due to Covid load,” he said.
IGGMCH officials too said the matter was resolved. “MARD members had a discussion with DMER too. Staff has been provided. Total 51 community health officer and and resident Ayurveda doctors have joined. We have got 100 resident doctors,” they said.
GMCH MARD president Dr Arpit Dhakate said our specialization were getting affected due to non-stop Covid duties. “Because of Covid other patients are not turning up. Where are the surgical patients, chronic illnesses, malignant cases going? Half of our tenure has gone in Covid only,” he said.