Nagpur: The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) on Wednesday decided not to go ahead with their strike after a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who agreed to their demands.
The MARD, which represents resident doctors in Government medical colleges and hospitals in the State, had given a call for a strike from Wednesday, February 7 evening over their pending demands. MARD representatives had a meeting with Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif, Pawar and officials of the Medical Education and Drugs Department.
According to MARD, the State Government has agreed to immediately hike the stipend to resident doctors by Rs10,000. The doctors’ body had also demanded immediate regularisation in stipend payment with release of pending stipends and arrears of all resident doctors in the state.
The Maharashtra Government has also agreed to release the monthly payment of stipend henceforth and directed the finance department to release the exact amount of requested funds every month, the MARD said. The resident doctors had also demanded immediate grant of necessary funds and fast-tracking of all the PWD (Public Works Department) works across the state to ensure completion of repairs of existing hostels and initiation of construction of new hostel premises.
