THE NUMBERS INCREASE

More than 5000 Maharashtra docs on strike

Press Trust of India
Posted online: Thursday, March 02, 2006 at 1516 hours IST
Updated: Thursday, March 02, 2006 at 1542 hours IST

Mumbai, March 2: Colleges from six more cities in Maharashtra joined the resident doctors strike, which entered the fourth consecutive day today, taking the total number of medicos who are on strike to more than 5,000.

"Doctors from government medical colleges in Aurangabad, Nanded, B J Medical College in Pune, Government Hospitals from Solapur, Miraj and Ambejogai have joined us in our strike," secretary of Maharashtra Association Resident Doctors (MARD) Ajay Oswal told PTI here.

“The total number of doctors on strike is now in excess of 5,000”, Oswal said adding the doctors had not heard from any government authority on their demands, which include an increase in the stipend and a decrease in the doctor patient ratio.

Maharashtra government last night invoked the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA) 2005 against the striking resident doctors, but Oswal said MARD was still in the process of taking legal advice on the matter.