Maha: Over 7k Resident Doctors In Govt Colleges On Strike, Minister Says 'Should Have Spoken To Us'

State Medical Education Minister Girish Mahajan told reporters that he has requested resident physicians to have a conversation and encouraged them not to press the issue any further.

Representational Image. (File Photo)

New Delhi: On Monday, more than 7,000 resident doctors at government institutions in Maharashtra went on strike over a number of grievances, including the standard of dormitories and the hiring of assistant and associate professors to replace open positions, news agency PTI reported.

State Medical Education Minister Girish Mahajan told reporters that he has requested resident doctors to have a conversation and encouraged them not to press the issue any further.

The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), which launched the walkout, said that difficulties with dormitory conditions were plaguing students at government colleges.

Additionally, the resident physicians have pushed for the hiring of 1,432 senior resident doctors and urged that associate and assistant professor vacancies be filled.

The minister said that the public works department (PWD) has received Rs 12 crore for repair work, and that half of the requests of the striking physicians have already been instantly accepted.

“We are positive about everything. They (doctors) should have spoken to us before going on strike,” Mahajan was quoted by PTI in its report.

Avinash Dahiphale, the president of MARD, stated to PTI that the organisation has not received any request for discussions from the state government.

A key component of the government- and community-run hospitals, which handle a high patient volume, are resident doctors.

(With Inputs From PTI)