Stir at JIPMER enters day 16

Puducherry, Sep 23 (UNI) Medical services in the centrally administered JIPMER hospital were affected for the 16th day today following the indefinite strike by the employees to protest against the granting of autonomous status to the institution.

Even as the services were maintained partially at the hospital with a meagre staff, the employees conducted a ''dharna'' outside the JIPMER campus.

Puducherry Lt Governor Mukut Mithi reiterated that the employees should call off the strike in the larger interests of the patients.

In an informal chat with newspersons on the sidelines of a workshop conducted by the Pondicherry Women's Commission, Mr Mithi said the Chief Minister had already conveyed the demands of the employees to the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss and that he did not know what materialised after that.

He said he contacted JIPMER director and was told that the deadlock continued and there is no improvement in the situation, he added.

He said he had already conveyed the feelings of the employees to the Centre after they called on him and added that he also conducted elaborate discussions with the deputy secretary, health when the latter visited Puducherry.

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