Government hardens stand against striking doctors in HP

Shimla, Mar 28 (UNI) Hardening its stand against the striking Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital's (IGMC) Resident Doctors Association, the Himachal Pradesh Government today issued show cause notices to them, directing them to resume their duties immediately or face action.

''The striking doctors of the RDA have been told to resume their duties immediately or face action,'' state principal health secretary Harinder Singh Heera told reporters here.

She said the doctors' demand for bringing their stipend at on a with Punjab was unjustified since there was no parity of salaries between the doctors of the two states.

The doctors are on a pen-down strike since Thursday, demanding a hike in their stipend on a par with doctors in the neighbouring state of Punjab, four advance increments to specialist doctors and reduction in the voluntary retirement age from 30 to 20 years.

Health services in the IGMC were affected today following the association's decision to go on a mass casual leave today after the talks between the state government and the doctors broke down on Saturday.

Though the IGMC authorities had directed the department heads and senior doctors to manage OPDs in the absence of the resident doctors, in patients were the one to suffer the most with no doctors visiting them till late evening.

Patients said since the resident doctors were on a mass casual leave (CL) and senior doctors were managing the OPDs, they were left to the mercy of the nurses.

UNI