Medicos divided over reservation, medical services hit

Bhopal, May 18 (UNI) Patients faced hardships despite a schism in the ranks of junior doctors on strike against reservation in higher education institutions.

Health services remained affected in all the five state medical colleges due to the strike. However, with some doctors returning to work, patients received OPD services.

Madhya Pradesh Junior Doctors' Association secretary Piyush Vyas claimed that medicos and junior doctors in all the medical colleges continued their strike today.

Besides, engineering college students in the state had announced to extend their support to the medicos' strike.

He admitted that some doctors, who favoured reservation, had returned to work. However, he said, this would not affect the agitation.

The protesting medicos will organise a statewide rally in the state capital on May 20. Students from private medical and engineering colleges will take part in the rally.

Junior doctors had been treating patients by setting up a parallel OPD outside the hospital in the hospital. The striking doctors also presented a skit against reservation in the campus today.

The Fight for Right Association (FRA), the body formed by people who favoured reservation, claimed that more than 100 medicos returned to work and patients started receiving treatment.

FRA office bearer Vineet Gaur said a peace rally would be taken out by the new association from the college campus to Roshanpura square this evening.

According to reports received from Jabalpur, medical services were hit due to strike by junior doctors. The agitating medicos took out a rally and staged a demonstration in the college campus today.

Jabalpur Medical College Hospital superintendent P K Kasar said though the hospital work was affected due to the strike, emergency services were rendered.

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