M P Govt to tie-up with private hospitals

Bhopal, May 27: With no let up in the medicos' strike against OBC reservation which has crippled health services in hospitals attached to the medical colleges, the Madhya Pradesh government is making effort for a tie-up with private hospitals to ensure treatment of serious patients.

''Health Minister Ajay Bishnoi is holding talks with the private hospitals to ensure emergency medical services in view of the strike by doctors,'' Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told UNI in Raisen last night.

''The tie-up with private hospital was to avoid death of any serious patients due to lack of emergency services in government hospitals,'' he said.

Meanwhile, a high-level meeting with Health Secretary scheduled here today to consider taking disciplinary action against the striking junior doctors was postponed, Bhopal medical college Dean Nirbhay Shrivastava said.

The college authorities had earlier warned the agitators that disciplinary action would be taken against them if they did not resume duty.

Madhya Pradesh Junior Doctors Association Vice President Ashutosh Dixit said the agitation would continue. A referendum on the strike would be taken in the state capital's New Market area this evening, he added.

UNI