This was stated at a meeting between the minster, Digvijay Khanvilkar, and MARD representatives led by Dr Rajas Deshpande, in which various demands of the resident doctors were discussed. The minister is reported to have told the doctors that a committee has been appointed to study their demands, including a raise in wages. The government has therefore requested them to postpone their strike by three months.

However, MARD sources said the government has been extending assurances since 1991, and it is difficult to believe that the state is facing bankruptcy when money is being spent in other areas. The doctors have also alleged that the authorities are trying to muzzle their freedom of expression by not allowing them to hold press meets within the KEMHospital campus.