SGPGIMS docs continue strike: anti-reservation rally tomorrow

Lucknow, May 24 (UNI) Even as the resident doctors of Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) continued their strike for the sixth day, the Uttar Pradesh government was yet to take any action against the striking medicos.

The striking doctors have been served with ESMA notices, but they are yet to join duties resulting in paralysing of the emergency and OPD services in the SGPGIMS since Friday.

Today, the doctors took out a car-scooter rally in the city to generate people's support for tomorrow rally to be held at Shahid Smarak in the heart of the city.

UP Chief Secretary N C Bajpai, meanwhile, said the state government had imposed Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) on the striking medicos. ''We are monitoring the number of doctors still on strike...we will take appropriate action, if they fail to rejoin duties.'' Resident doctors assocation president Amit Goel told UNI here they would continue their strike and any harsh action by the government would not crack their agitation.

He also accepted they had received government notices of ESMA declaring their strike as illegal.

SGPGIMS has 120 doctors and it is recalling 45, who are on leave.

The decision indicates the institute administration's apprehensions that the strike may continue for a while.

The agitation by resident doctors has entered cyberspace with the doctors launching a weblog to garner support on the burning issue.

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