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  4,000 doctors call off strike after Bombay High Court intervenes

4,000 doctors call off strike after Bombay High Court intervenes

Published : Apr 10, 2016, 2:32 am IST
Updated : Apr 10, 2016, 2:32 am IST

The week-long strike of around 4,000 resident doctors across Maharashtra finally came to an end on Saturday after an RTI activist approached the Bombay high court seeking action against striking docto

The week-long strike of around 4,000 resident doctors across Maharashtra finally came to an end on Saturday after an RTI activist approached the Bombay high court seeking action against striking doctors under the Maharashtra Essential Services and Maintenance Act (MESMA).

The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (Mard) on Saturday assured the division bench of Justice Ranjit More and Justice Dr Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi that it would withdraw the strike with immediate effect after the state government, BMC and Directorate of Medical Education and Research, Mumbai accepted their suggestion that a retired high court judge should head the redressal cell and an IAS officer be included in it.

The doctors went on strike almost a week ago and it ended when RTI activist Afak Mandaviya through advocate Datta Mane mentioned his PIL (filed in 2015) before the HC on Thursday. Considering the grave urgency of the matter, a special bench was constituted to hear this matter on Saturday.

Advocate Mane alleged before the court that several patients had died in various parts of the state owing to the doctors’ strike. However, both, government pleader Poornima Kantharia and advocate Prashant Phopale disputed this. The court noted that needy and poor patients were not being attended to and were suffering the most because of the strike. The bench noted that meetings of the cell were being conducted regularly every three months; however, according to Mard there were complaints and allegations against the dean of JJ Hospital Dr T.P. Lahane and hence he could not be member of this cell.

In the meantime, the state government and Directorate of Medical Education assured the court that striking doctors of Mard would not be victimised for the strike. Mard stated that they it is calling off the strike and would start work by 6 pm. The regular bench will now hear the PIL on Monday.