NEW DELHI, Jun 5 (NNN-PTI) – Nearly 3,000 striking junior doctors, working in six government medical colleges, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, resigned en masse from their posts.
The doctors tendered their resignations on Thursday, hours after Madhya Pradesh high court, directed the striking junior doctors in the state to resume their duties within 24 hours, after terming the protest “illegal.”
“The government didn’t accept our demands but only gave us assurance, so we did not end our strike,” Madhya Pradesh Junior Doctors Association (MPJDA) Secretary, Ankita Tripathi, was quoted in local media as having said. “So far 3,000 junior doctors have submitted their resignations to the dean of their colleges.”
The doctors also announced that they will challenge the high court ruling.
The junior doctors, demanding a hike in stipend and free treatment for them and their families, if they contract COVID-19, began their indefinite strike on Monday.
The court said, in case the striking doctors do not resume duties within the set timeframe, the state government must take stern action against them.
The court condemned the junior doctors’ decision to go on strike at a time of the ongoing pandemic and said, such a step cannot be encouraged during a health crisis.– NNN-PTI
