Nearly 3000 junior doctors in Madhya Pradesh resigned from their posts hours after the High Court directed the striking doctors in the state to resume their duties within 24 hours terming the protest as 'illegal'. The doctors also announced that they will challenge the high court ruling.
Madhya Pradesh Junior Doctors Association (MPJDA) Secretary Ankita Tripathy, while speaking to India Today TV said that nearly 3000 junior doctors have submitted their resignations. The secretary said that the government didn't accept their demands but only gave assurance so they did not end their strike.
Tripathy further stated that the police are being sent to the houses of the doctors to end the strike. "The government is saying that junior doctors are blackmailing them which is not true. If we had to blackmail the government, why are there fewer patients now?" she asked.
On the strike of junior doctors and their collective resignations, Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang said that even after their demands were met, "their attitude shows their bigotry".
MPJDA President Dr Arvind Meena has, however, claimed that the government authorities promised to fulfill their demands but nothing happened after that, forcing the doctors to stop work.
Asked about the government's decision to raise their stipend by 17 per cent and whether they will resume duties after relevant orders are issued, Meena said it remained non-committal. "The government has promised to raise the stipend by 24 per cent and till they raise it to that limit, the strike will continue," he said.
The strike, which began on Monday, will continue till their demands are fulfilled, the MPJDA president said.
The junior doctors have put forward multiple demands before the state government, including a hike in stipends and free treatment for them and their families if they contract the deadly coronavirus infection.