Medicos call off strike in Gujarat

Ahmedabad, May 31 (UNI) Agitating students and interns at medical colleges in Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat called off their strike in deference to the Supreme Court's directives.

A spokesman of BJ Medical College Media Cell told UNI here that they have received communication from the Additional Solicitor General also. They are withdrawing their strike, but with ''extreme distress''.

''However, we have have full faith in the Supreme Court and in the judicial system and expect them to uphold the larger public interest,'' he said.

In Vadodara, students, interns and junior doctors of the Baroda Medical College, affilated to Sir Sayajirao General Hospital, have also withdrawn their strike and joined duty with immediate effect.

The decision to withdraw the strike was taken at the general body meeting of respective associations.

A section of resident doctors had started resuming duty since yesterday itself following internal differences.

Today all the 300-odd junior doctors, who were on strike since May 9, resumed duty while the students will resume their classes and clinical studies from tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Gujarat Medical Association (GMA), affiliated to IMA, has also welcomed the state medical students and junior doctors' decision to withdraw the strike in the larger public interest.

Agitating medical students and doctors in two medical colleges in Surat have also decided to call off their strike.

Government Medical College, Surat, Interns Medical Students Association president Rajiv Kharware said the srike has been called off today.

Meanwhile, a group, ''Gujarat Pradesh Mandal Samarthan Samithi'', said it will start an awareness campaign in support of reservation.

Samithi president Jayanti Manai said the organisation will start a seven-day ''rath yatra'' from tomorrow in support of reservation.

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