14:31
The Bombay High Court on Thursday ordered resident doctors to immediately call off their strike against the registration of homoeopaths under the Maharashtra Medical Council, raising concern over the protest's impact on patients in hospitals across the state.
The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) subsequently assured the court that the strike would be called off.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad took suo motu (on its own) cognisance of the strike and warned of stopping the wages of the protesting doctors if they failed to report back to work immediately.
It may be a legal right of every person to agitate for their rights, but not at the cost of patients, the court said.
"We are worried about the health of the thousands of patients and also the residents of Maharashtra," the bench said while asking the doctors to call off their strike and resume work immediately.
"Why are you resorting to a strike at the cost of patients? Tomorrow you may succeed in your agitation, but then will you be able to bring back the lives of those patients who may have died during the strike? Can they (protesting doctors) bring back dead patients to life?" the HC asked.
Pursuant to the court's remarks, Indian Medical Association's senior counsel S U Kamdar and MARD president Dr Atharva Shinde agreed and said the strike would be called off. -- PTI
