We cannot forget what you have done: CM Uddhav Thackeray to protesting doctors

Resident doctors of the Maharashtra State Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) during their indefinite strike outside Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital, Thane. File pic

Following the assurance that they will be given an encouragement allowance for their stupendous work during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) called off the strike by resident doctors on Monday. The allowance will be on the lines of the one that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has given to its doctors.

The agreement was reached between the residents and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday. A statement from the CMO said that Thackeray profusely appreciated the residents' performance in the past 18 months. "We can't forget what you have done," the CM told a delegation of resident doctors.

Sources said the doctors were also assured a resolution to the deduction of GST from the stipend that the BMC pays the resident doctors. The demand for waiving off the tuition fees of post-graduate courses was also taken up, but the doctors did not pursue it further knowing the overall financial situation of the state in the wake of the pandemic, said an official who attended the meeting. "However, the residents welcomed the assurance for an allowance, which could be one-time or in installments," he said.

Sources further said that the government is averse to making it a policy to pay extra, but for one off incident, because there are lakhs of other frontline workers who also fought the pandemic risking their well-being.

Officially, the statement said the CM has asked the state finance department and Mumbai civic body to work on the technicalities of the GST deduction. "The CM also instructed the officials to ensure that the resident doctors working with the state and civic medical colleges are encouraged (by paying them extra)," the statement added. The CMO said the delegation expressed satisfaction over the agreement and expected quick action.

The MARD called off the strike after the meeting with the CM. "We met the CM in the afternoon. We had a constructive discussion on the issues we are facing. He has assured us that our demands will be met within a month's time," Dr Dnyaneshwar Dhoble Patil, MARD president, said.

- Inputs from Somita Pal