Doctors call off strike after state agrees to form SIT to probe Satara doc’s death

Responding to the demands raised by the doctors, the chief minister agreed to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a retired judge to probe the medical officer’s death

Mumbai: The strike by 15,000 resident doctors in government hospitals across the state, which commenced on Monday, was called off late on Tuesday evening after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis assured protesting doctors that their all demands, including a court-monitored probe into the death of a government medical officer posted at Phaltan in Satara district, would be fulfilled.

On Tuesday, the second day of the stir, 256 resident doctors joined the strike at KEM Hospital, while 177 and 87 doctors joined the strike at Nair and Sion hospitals, respectively (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

Fadnavis met representatives of the Central Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (Central MARD) and BMC MARD – two of the four major organisations backing the protests – in the evening on Tuesday. Medical education minister Hasan Mushrif and several senior officials including Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) vice chancellor and Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) director Dr Ajay Chandanwale were present at the meeting.

Responding to the demands raised by the doctors, the chief minister agreed to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a retired judge to probe the medical officer’s death. A state-level committee will also be constituted to address doctors’ safety and ethical administration, with representation from key health and education departments and student associations, participants in the meeting told HT.

The government has also agreed to regularise the attendance of resident doctors for the two strike days and proposed amendments to the Doctors’ Protection Act to include provisions on mental harassment, the participants said.

“We had a meeting with the Chief Minister this evening and he has promised to meet all our demands. Hence, we are calling off the strike,” said Dr Swapnil Kendre, general secretary, Central MARD.

Resident doctors across the state welcomed the development.

“We are happy that the government has taken our concerns seriously. All of us will return to duty immediately,” a resident doctor from a civic body-run hospital told HT.

On Tuesday, the second day of the stir, 256 resident doctors joined the strike at KEM Hospital, while 177 and 87 doctors joined the strike at Nair and Sion hospitals, respectively. Sion Hospital’s OPD attendance dropped to 1,848 patients from the usual 3,000, hospital officials said.

All medical services at government and municipal hospitals will resume as usual from Wednesday morning, officials and protesting doctors said.

A senior BMC health official said that though the strike had caused some disruption, services remained largely manageable.

“We coped with permanent staff for now. Emergency and ICU units were running without issues. Senior resident doctors were present, as it was mainly junior residents and assistant medical officers who participated in the strike,” an official said.