A government official said, “If we hadn’t taken this step, it may have invited contempt proceedings. That does not mean we are not ready to negotiate with the doctors. The health department has already sent a proposal for Rs 6,000 pay hike,” said a government source.

Patients continued to suffer though MARD started parallel outpatient departments at the civic-run Sion and B Y L Nair hospitals. “We don’t want people to suffer,” said Dr Vashishth Manira, MARD general secretary (Sion Hospital).

The parallel OPDs at Sion can handle 500 patients an hour and 71 were treated on Friday. The one at Nair Hospital had around 90 patients, said Dr Samadhan Mitkari, MARD president at Nair.

Sena backs them, attacks govt
The Shiv Sena threw its weight behind striking resident doctors on Friday and attacked the government for ignoring public healthcare. “It is the failure of the government that resident doctors had to call a strike. The longer the strike continues, more poor patients will be affected and the strikers will be blamed. That is why it is not accepting their demands,” the Sena said in an editorial in Saamna.

It endorsed the demand for better pay and facilities, and rubbished the state’s contention that this would affect its finances. It also attacked the government for saying it would hold discussions only after the doctors join duty.

Of the state of public hospitals, the Sena said, “The government cannot do anything to stop the loot of patients in the private sector, but a threat of punitive action is given out to doctors who provide medical aid to common people in government hospitals.”

... contd.