Mumbai: The doctor strike in Maharashtra has entered its seventh day and the 1,400 striking medicos have refused to return to work.
Nearly 300 doctors have so far been served notices and letters of termination by the health authorities, but it seems to have made no difference to the striking medical fraternity.
The doctors say they are united in their protests and the termination notices will not deter them.
Doctors from all over the city and outside gathered at Mumbai's Azad Maidan on Saturday to press for their demands.
They are also contemplaating a legal recourse should the demands go unmet.
The worst-hit by the strike are thousands of patients in civic hospitals across the state, who are not getting the required treatment on time.
Emergency services in the state have been severely hit and the state government has resorted to deploying Naval doctors and ESI service medicos in the hospitals teeming with patients with no one to take care of them.
However, the health authorities have assured that all steps would be taken to ensure patients’ safety and comfort.
The doctors began their indefinite strike on February 27, demanding adequate security following attacks by a patient's relatives. They have also been demanding an increase in their stipend.
The problem is more acute in the rural areas, where resident doctors form the backbone of the public healthcare system are out of reach for most people.
The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) has indicated that the government has agreed to its demands, but the doctors will not resume work till they get a written assurance.
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