Maharashtra: Doctors' body warns strike; demands of filling vacant posts, clearing pending dues

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra State Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) has warned of going on strike from January 2 if their demands of filling vacant posts and clearing pending dues from 2018 are not met.

In a letter to state medical education minister Girish Mahajan on Monday, MARD president, Avinash Dahiphale has demanded the creation of 1,432 posts of senior resident doctors and payment of pending dues of dearness allowances from October 16, 2018.

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“The creation of 1,432 posts of senior resident doctors is our first demand. If the proposal for the same is still pending with the state government, then why did it have the policy of bonded service for resident doctors passing out from government-run colleges,” the letter stated.

The association has also demanded clearing pending dues of dearness allowances from October 16, 2018, it said. "There is also no parity in salaries of senior resident doctors across the state. The state should intervene and bring parity in the salary structure,” the letter said.

The MARD further claimed that the posts of associate and assistant professor are vacant in most of the medical colleges and they need to be filled to ensure that students are not affected. “If there is no concrete decision taken in the ongoing winter session at Nagpur, the MARD members will go on strike from January 2,” the association warned.