Agitating Orissa doctors stick to their stand

Kalingatimes, 17th March, 2008

Lakhs of people dependant on the services of government-run hospitals in the State are heading for big trouble with the agitating doctors declaring that they would not withdraw their resignation papers. The announcement came on Sunday as the doctors were not satisfied with whatever assurances Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had given them on Saturday.
As per the condition made by the doctors, they would not remain in their service from Wednesday. Among other things, the government doctors in the State have been demanding for better pay scales, improved promotion rules and adequate infrastructure at the hospitals.
Over 2000 doctors had submitted their resignation to the government through the Orissa Medical Services Association last month with the condition that their resignation may be accepted with effect from March 19 if the government did not fulfill their demands.
With the government unable to resolve the crisis till date, patients have already started facing trouble as the doctors had already started admitting patients who would require treatment for a longer period. The issue was also raised in the State Assembly on Saturday when legislators belonging to different parties urged the State government to talk to the doctors to prevent a crisis. People in the backward Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput region of the State were already facing a lot of hardship as hundreds of posts of doctors were laying vacant in the government hospitals in their areas.