Maharashtra resident doctors call for strike from next week

The Maharashtra State Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) has said they will go on a strike from next week unless their demands are met.

Feeling ditched by the state government, the Maharashtra State Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) has threatened to go on a strike from next week. 

The resident doctors are demanding Covid incentives, waiver of tuition fees for postgraduate medical students, and better hostel facilities at government-run medical colleges. During the last two years, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, they have lost their academic years, studies and practical exposure and hence they are demanding a tuition fee waiver.

The state medical education minister Amit Deshmukh had promised to waive the tuition fees of the postgraduate students, but it is not implemented yet. The resident doctors had also met Deshmukh in August with their list of demands.

Following this meeting, Deshmukh tweeted on August 11, “For the last year and a half, resident doctors have been at the forefront of our fight against Covid-19 by working day in and out for months together. Our department is positive of bringing about necessary changes.”

The Hindustan Times quoted Pranav Jadhav, vice president, MARD, “The file regarding fee waiver and Covid incentives has been forwarded by the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) to the state medical education minister but to date, we have not heard any update from the state government. Therefore, MARD has decided to call for a strike of all resident doctors unless our demands are met.”

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