Reservation: PM disheartened by doctors' response

New Delhi, May 30 : Health Minister Ambumoni Ramdoss today ruled out invoking ESMA to deal with doctors' agitation on the reservation issue but said that the govenrment would take all action to restore normalcy in hospitals.

Dr Ramdoss met Prime Minister and discussed the situation arising from the doctors' agitation over the proposed 27 per cent reservation for OBC in higher educational institutions.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Dr Ramdoss said that the PM was ''disheartened'' at the response of the agitating doctors who rejected his appeal.

He said that despite the government making all efforts including talks of the Prime Minister with the agitating doctors, they have not seen reason. Now even the courts have asked the agitating doctors to join work, but they have not heeded.

So, now the government would take all action including appointing army doctors and other medicos to deal with the situation, the health minister said and added that the ministry would have to file its reply to the Supreme Court's notice on the issue.

''We have appealed enough to the students. Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Oscar Fernandes and even Prime Minister held talks with them but the strike still continues. We are really disheartened by their response,'' Dr Ramdoss said and added that now the government will take ''all necessary action to restore normalcy come what may.'' Asked whether the government was proposing to invoke ESMA to force doctors join their work, Dr Ramdoss said that the ministry was not thinking on those terms but ''we will do whatever it takes''.

Ruling out the possibility of another round of talks, he said that the Prime Minister himself called the agitating doctors and talked to them for over an hour still they did not listen to his appeal. The Prime Minister is totally disheartened.

UNI

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