With JDA representatives from Jamnagar medical college likely to join them here by Wednesday, a piquant situation is emerging in the three cities, affecting treatment of hundreds of indoor patients, while admissions have been on the decline.

And with the association and the State Government both adamant in their stands, the impasse continues. While the doctors say they will not resume duties until their demands are honoured, State Health Minister Ashok Bhatt has said he is against holding any talks until the stir is called off.

``I am sympathetic towards their demands. But my doors are shut until they withdraw their agitation. I am not going to succumb to such pressures,'' Bhatt told Express Newsline.

Meanwhile, services at the 1200-bed SSG Hospital continued to be paralysed. The doctors have been on strike since September 7.

When contacted, Hospital Superintendent Kirit Sheth said he had asked about 100 senior teachers and doctors -- now attending about 20 wards and OPDs in place of more than 350 resident doctors -- to ``suspend speciality clinics and discharge cold (read non-emergency) cases and handle only emergency cases''.

Senior doctors, requesting anonymity, admitted that services in all the OPDs had been badly affected and even attendance in several wards had been reduced by 60 to 70 per cent. Junior doctors are holding ``parallel OPDs'', but patient attendance is negligible here. Several patients and relatives also complained about inadequate services in departments such as gynaecology, paediatrics, surgery, orthopaedics and medicine.

Senior office-holders of JDA of Surat and Vadodara said a delegation may call on the health minister in a day or two, ``since doctors are not politicians and want an early solution.''

They pointed out that the issue was not new to post-graduate medical students in Gujarat; when students had struck work in 1989 for as many as 79 days, they were given a rise of only Rs 250. Again, in 1992 they had sought a hike, but had withdrawn the agitation after 10 days following a verbal assurance from the then government.

Doctors point out that while more than 200 PG and 74 diploma students of Jamnagar, 300 and 55 of Vadodara and 302 and 54 students of Surat were getting Rs 3,650 as monthly stipend, elsewhere junior doctors were paid more than Rs 10,000 as stipend.

While top health department officials had assured them a hike in a week's time, about two months ago, it was yet to be accepted.

Ironically, none of the parties involved -- the JDAs, the hospital, college authorities or those in Gandhinagar -- took any initiative to sort out the issue, which would have prevented the strike.