'Strike was being used as a political gimmick'

Say medical interns, after calling off their agitation for increased stipend on its seventh day yesterday

Say medical interns, after calling off their agitation for increased stipend on its seventh day yesterday

Fed up of their strike being used as a 'political gimmick' and of their colleagues falling ill while on strike, and in recognition of the assurance given to them by the government that their demands would be considered, interns from the Association of State Medical Interns (ASMI) called off their strike over increasing their stipend on its seventh day yesterday.


Pulling back: The interns said they were assured that their stipend
would be hiked at par with other states. File Pic

Around 4 pm, the interns, who were on an indefinite hunger strike since May 2, called it off after a telephonic conversation with the Medical Education Minister Vijay Kumar Gavit. The minister assured the interns that their demands would be considered and a proposal for the same would be submitted to the cabinet at the earliest.
The interns had been demanding a stipend hike from the existing Rs 2,550 to Rs 13,000 and a subsequent increase of Rs 1,000 every year.

As reported by MiD DAY ('Medical interns' strike takes on political hues', May 4), Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray had extended his support to the striking interns on the first day of the strike and a political blitzkrieg followed.

Shiv Sena MLC Deepak Sawant sat on a day-long hunger strike with the interns andu00a0 MNS leader Bala Nandgoankar paid them a visit. Independent MLA Kapil Patil played mediator after that and made the interns talk tou00a0 Gavit over the phone. The strike was called off after that.

What added to the pressure on the interns was that 48 of the 120 who had sat on a hunger strike at the Kamgar Maidan opposite KEM Hospital yesterday were admitted to the hospital for dehydration and low sugar levels.

ASMI Coordinator Dr Dhaval Shah said, "Our strike was being used as a political gimmick and we did not expect it take such a turn. The health of our colleagues was also deteriorating and, thus, we decided to call off our strike. Apart from the phone call, we have also received a written assurance that our stipend will be raised and we expect it to be close to Rs 13,000."

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