Gujarat : Junior doctors end strike after meeting CM 

Gandhinagar : The junior doctors and interns of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital’s BJ Medical campus have finally ended the strike demanding a 40% stipend instead of 20%.

The strike was concluded after the doctors’ meeting with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who is likely to have assured the protesting doctors of a solution in the future.

Three years after completing their postgraduate (PG) and passing the exams, senior resident doctors are required to do one year of duty. As this academic year is coming to an end, senior residents were also facing the threat of termination if the strike would have continued.

The two-day-long strike On Sept 2, BJ Medical College issued a notice to interns, PG students, and residents, ordering them to report for duty at 9 am on Sept 3.

It was also mentioned that if they failed to comply, strict action would be taken and the police would be informed.

Around 100 police personnel were present at the campus on Sept 3 while the resident doctors were holding a ‘silent protest’ using masks to cover their mouths.

When the junior doctors went on strike on Sept 2, demanding a 40% hike in stipends instead of 20%, the government claimed that the junior doctors in the state are provided higher stipends than other states and, that it is inhumane to go on a strike at the expense of patient care, and the act of using it as a threat is completely unacceptable.

Moreover, the stipend for interns and resident doctors in Gujarat is entirely tax-free, according to the government.