Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh high court on Wednesday termed as “illegal” the strike by junior doctors in the state and directed them to resume work at the earliest.
Health services were paralysed at medical college-affiliated hospitals in Madhya Pradesh as 1,200 junior doctors struck work to seek higher stipend and protection on duty among other demands.
The agitation, however, suffered a body blow as the high court made it clear that in an earlier order issued in January 2014, medical officers of government hospitals were barred from striking work. The court also directed the chief secretary to take necessary action to implement its orders. The MP Nurses Association withdrew the strike following the ruling.
The para-medical staff too had followed the junior doctors on strike, causing inconvenience to patients across the state.
The MP government has already expelled five junior doctors, including Junior Doctors’ Association (JDA) state president Sachet Saxena, and also slapped the protesters with the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA). Efforts to contact Saxena were futile.
The department of medical education on Tuesday expelled 20 junior doctors and four staff nurses. Stung by the action, the doctors resorted to en masse resignations and declined to take them back unless the action taken against their colleagues was revoked.
Minister of state for health Sharad Jain had made it clear that no talks with junior doctors were possible unless they returned to work.
Comments
0 comment