Docs? stir off, but anger still there

MEDICOS AT Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College called off their four-day old strike on Thursday night. But the manner in which the State Government acted on the issue has ruffled feathers of various medical associations.

MEDICOS AT Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College called off their four-day old strike on Thursday night. But the manner in which the State Government acted on the issue has ruffled feathers of various medical associations.

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Though office-bearers of the Provincial Medical Services refrained from going public on the issue, they felt the ESMA threat resembled the Mulayam Singh Government’s stand in 1991 in a similar situation. The then government had used ‘unethical means’ to force striking PMS doctors to rejoin work.

A level 4 PMS doctor said, “The State Government’s action has strengthened the hands of anti-social elements, who in connivance with railway police have become a terror for train passengers.”

The medicos and the GSVM Medical College principal also differed on the issue.

An office-bearer of newly formed Junior Doctors’ Association said, “We have called off the strike after serving an ultimatum to our authority that if within 15 days our demands are not met, we will again go on strike.” He also said, “Our demands to the State Government are to let us know what charges has been framed against accused PTS jawans and that adequate compensation be paid to the injured medicos.”

However, principal Dr SK Katiyar emphatically said, “The strike has been called off unconditionally.” On Friday, normalcy returned to all associate hospitals of the GSVM Medical College. In the two OPD counters of LLR Hospital, 336 and 370 patients, respectively, registered for treatment. Meanwhile, city president of IMA Dr VC Rastogi said, “The PTS jawans had assaulted the medicos. Now, when medicos have called off their strike it’s the responsibility of the government to ensure justice and protection to the doctors.”