After an assurance from the government to look into the matter, junior doctors working in the government and municipal hospitals , who were on their indefinite strike, called off their agitation on Thursday.

Confirming the development, a spokesman of the Junior Doctors Association (JDA) said, “We have been assured by the state government that it will actively consider the demand of the junior doctors for a hike in monthly stipend as per the stipulated structure recommended in the Sixth Pay Commission after the Lok Sabha poll. The junior doctors have now decided to join their duties back in the various hospitals across the state.”

It can be recalled that nearly 1, 500 resident junior doctors in government and municipal hospitals in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar went on an indefinite strike on Monday. They were demanding a higher monthly stipend.

According to these doctors, the government was paying Rs.9,600 per month as stipend to them. But they were demanding it to be raised to Rs.9,000-18,000 per month for the first year, Rs.10,000-20,000 in the second year and Rs.11,000-22,000 for the third year.

As a result, the patients suffered badly during the period of indefinite strike.

As a preventative measure, the government has deployed nearly 2,000 paramedics on duty Wednesday morning in the government and municipal hospitals, assisted by the staff from the medical colleges to attend to patients.

During a late evening meeting with these doctors, state Health Minister Jaynarayan Vyas assured that all the demands of the doctors had been forwarded to the higher authorities.