Contract doctors call off 4-day old stir

Bangalore, Nov 13 (UNI) The 4000-member strong Karnataka Contract Doctors Association, which had struck work for the past four days, badly affecting the health services in the entire state, withdrew their strike today following the state government conceding to their major demands.

Health Minister B Sriramulu, Home Minister V S Acharya and Transport minister R Ashok held detailed talks with the office bearers of the Association and expressed the government's willingness to meet three of their four main demands.

After the government's assurance, the doctor's decided to resume duty with immediate effect.

Association Secretary D V Satyanarayana said the government had agreed to regularise all those doctors who had served under contract for more than three years and assured them that no ad-hoc appointments would be made to replace them.

The government had also agreed to bring statute on the lines of the law passed by the Andhra Pradesh government providing security to doctors. Attacks by irate relatives on government doctors were reported on some occasion when death took place in hospitals in cases like accidents.

On the Association's main demand of pay parity with the medical teaching faculty, the government assured to form a committee to immediately look into it.

Patients were put under severe hardship in government hospitals and health centres across Karnataka as contract doctors struck work for the fourth day today.

Various associations of doctors, including those working in the government services, have extended their support to the strike.

Intensifying their stir, the doctors had tendered their resignations enmasse to the government earlier in the day.

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