Strike to continue in Delhi, Maharashtra: IMA, residents

NEW DELHI: Health services are expected to be hit on Monday in Delhi and Maharastra as the two state branches of the Indian Medical Association have asked medicos, both in the government and private sector, to keep away from work to protest the police action against striking doctors.

"We have called for a Delhi and Maharashtra medical bandh on Monday against police brutality," Dr Vinay Aggarwal, secretary general of the IMA, said. The bandh is being organised by the Delhi and Maharashtra branches of the association.

"We are with striking doctors," Aggarwal said adding the association had written to the Prime Minister, Home Minister, Health Minister and the Congress President on Sunday seeking their intervention to sort out the matter and punish those responsible for police brutality against the medicos.

Meanwhile, resident doctors of all medical colleges here, who began an indefinite hunger strike this morning, said they would continue with it on Monday. "We will continue the hunger strike and agitation till our demands are met," Dr Vinod Patro from the AIIMS' Resident Doctors Association, said.

However, faculty of the medical colleges, principally supporting the agitation, would not strike work to maintain emergency and casualty services, an AIIMS faculty spokesperson said. The resident doctors plan to run parallel OPDs tomorrow to cater to the patients.