Bhopal, July 21 (Inditop.com) Health services in all the five medical colleges of Madhya Pradesh continued to be disrupted for the second day Tuesday due to the strike called by junior doctors, who are demanding better facilities, a reduction in the post-graduation fees and a hike in stipend.
“The strike was 100 percent successful as junior doctors from all five medical colleges in the state abstained from work,” Madhya Pradesh Junior Doctors Association (MPJDA) president K.K. Prajapati told IANS. However, he said that the striking doctors were running parallel OPDs in all the medical colleges for out station patients and providing treatment to them.
“Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his government have utterly failed to resolve the issues related to welfare of doctors as well as patients”, he said, adding that the MPJDA had given over 10 memorandums to the chief minister in as many months to provide better facilities at all the medical colleges as asked by the Medical Council of India (MCI) to save their recognition.
Prajapati said they also wanted the present stipend of Rs.16,000, Rs.16,500 and Rs.17,000 to be increased to Rs.30,000 like in other medical colleges including in New Delhi and would not settle for anything less, despite state Health Minister Anup Mishra Monday warning the striking junior doctors to return to work or face action.
“The government would take strict action against the striking junior doctors which would include their rustication and cancellation of their registration,” Mishra had told reporters.
The state government has also said in an official release that the stipend of junior doctors has been revised thrice in the past six years with the last hike being given last year itself.
