More than 4,000 resident doctors in Maharashtra began an indefinite strike on Friday seeking various demands, including a waiver of their academic fees and a risk incentive for services rendered during the pandemic.
The Maharashtra State Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), the apex association of resident doctors from all the government medical colleges and hospitals in the State, demanded a waiver of their academic fees on the ground that there were no classes held during the pandemic and that they were pressed into service from day one.
The resident doctors also demanded a COVID-19 risk incentive for services rendered during the pandemic.
The association asked that hostel conditions be improved in government medical college hospitals and that TDS (tax deduction at source) not be deducted from the stipends of resident doctors in hospitals falling under the jurisdiction of the Brihanmumbai Mumbai Corporation (BMC).
While the strike affected outpatient department (OPD) services and vaccination drives, the association assured that emergency services like disaster relief would remain unaffected in districts, including the Marathwada region, which was currently facing a flood-like situation.
The association said no optional or elective surgery would take place at government or municipal corporation-run hospitals until the strike was called off.
Since May, senior resident doctors had been complaining of not having received either a pay hike or a hazard fund. They had threatened a strike at the time as well owing to the fact that they had been bearing the major workload of combating COVID-19 in government medical colleges and hospitals.
“We have been raising our grievances for the last five months, but the government has taken no action on this count. No written assurance was given to us. Hence, we are compelled to go on a strike,” said MARD president Dnyaneshwar Dhobale Patil.
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