Jaipur, Sep 7 (IANS) Government doctors in Rajasthan who went on strike three days ago following a police assault on some of them called off the crippling protest Tuesday following talks with the government.
‘The strike has been called off,’ K.K. Sahu, president of the Jaipur Association of Resident Doctors, declared here.
The strike crippled services in six government medical colleges and their affiliated hospitals.
The doctors were up in arms against the police assault on their colleagues at Jodhpur’s M.D.M. Medical College following a scuffle Saturday night.
Sahu said the additional district magistrate and superintendent of police in Jodhpur were likely to be moved out and the government had agreed to compensate the medical students who were injured during the baton charge.
‘The cases filed against 33 resident doctors have been withdrawn. The government has also agreed to frame a law for the security and safety of doctors,’ he added.
The strike hit hard hospitals in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Ajmer, Kota and Udaipur. Jodhpur was the worst hit.
Some media reports said at least 55 patients lost their lives during the strike. The government did not confirm this.
‘We cannot say for sure that these deaths occurred due to the strike. We have to verify the facts,’ said Rajasthan Health Minister A.A. Khan.
While the outpatient departments were severely hit at all the hospitals, those warded were left to the mercy of nursing staff.
The situation took a turn for the worse Tuesday after senior doctors also supported the strike.
