TN doctors continue strike, DMK chief Stalin expresses solidarity

Government doctors affiliated to Federation of Government Doctors Association, on an indefinite stir across Tamil Nadu for the fourth day received support from DMK on Monday, with its chief M K Stalin visiting them and expressing his party's solidarity with their demands. The strike since Friday, pressing a charter of four demands, has affected both inpatient and outpatient services in state-run hospitals.

Visiting the striking doctors in the premises of the Government Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital here, Stalin expressed his party's support with their demands. "I have expressed solidarity with them. It is our right and duty to protest. But I asked them to give up their indefinite fast," Stalin told reporters.

Two of the five doctors on an indefinite fast in the premises of GRGGH were hospitalized, the DMK leader said. It was regrettable that neither Health Minister C Vijayabaskar nor Chief Minister K Palaniswami had held talks with them, he added.

Various parties, including the CPI(M), have urged the government to fulfill the demands of the doctors. According to FOGDA, an umbrella outfit of five associations spearheading the strike, inpatient and outpatient services and elective surgeries were affected due to their strike but not the emergency services.

The fast by the doctors is to press Chief Minister K Palaniswami's immediate intervention in the matter. Implementation of a Government Order that envisages time-bound promotions, apart from ensuring appropriate patient-doctor ratio in hospitals by amending another GO are among the demands.

Bringing back the 50 percent quota for government doctors in postgraduate and super-specialty streams is another demand. Filling up posts and carrying out transfers through a transparent counseling process is the other long-time representation of the government doctors.