State issues expulsion notices to striking docs

MUMBAI: The state medical education department on Thursday issued expulsion notices to 4,500 on-strike doctors in Maharashtra.

Resident doctors from Sion, Nair and KEM hospitals had gone on a strike from Tuesday demanding a stipend hike and fixed duty hours. “If the doctors fail to join work, we will expel them from the hospital accomodation and also cancel their post-graduate registration,” said state medical education minister Vijay Kumar Gavit.

Despite the notice, officials from the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) threatened to contin- ue the strike till their demand for stipend hike is met. “The government has not called us for any discussion,” said Dr Swapnil Kulkarni, spokesperson, MARD. “We will provide services outside the hospitals.”

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VIJAYANAND GUPTA/ HT Striking doctors treat patients outside Sion hospital on Thursday.