Quota: Doctors to call off strike

Striking resident doctors of Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Science and University College of Medical Sciences and other medical colleges and hospitals have decided to honour the Supreme Court directive and return to their duties with effect from Thursday. The doctors have been striking for past 18 days.

A decision to this effect was taken after a long general body meeting of the doctors at the AIIMS premises on Wednesday evening.

Earlier on Wednesday evening the Union health ministry threatened to serve termination notices to the striking doctors by 9 am on Thursday.

The Reservation Ruckus

But the strike by medical students will continue. The division amongst the doctors become apparent in the afternoon when two opinions emerged amongst them. While one favoured continuation of the strike, the other wanted the doctors to obey the order of the apex court and not engage with it.

"How can we defy the law of the land," an agitated resident doctor asked his colleagues.

Dr Ashish Sabarwal said that the doctors could find new avenues to protest against the government decision to reserve 27 per cent reservation for the OBCs. "The court and the government have given assurances and we should trust them. But I suggest that the Youth for Equality should now be replaced with Citizen for Equality and broaden our canvas," he said.

The court had given three days to the interns to return to their duties or face action. It had also asked the government not to terminate the services of doctors who return to work.