AIIMS doctors call off strike

Doctors of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) protesting against the passage of the AIIMS (Amendment) Bill, 2007 today called off their strike.

New Delhi, Nov 29 : Doctors of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) protesting against the passage of the AIIMS (Amendment) Bill, 2007 today called off their strike.

The decision to withdraw the strike was taken at the meeting of the AIIMS faculty here today.

The doctors faced the threat of action from the Delhi High Court.

Earlier in the day, the High Court asked the Government and the AIIMS authorities to take action against those doctors who went on strike in violation of its earlier order.

"If they (resident doctors) go on strike, their salaries should be deducted and their licences should be cancelled," a Bench comprising Chief Justice M K Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Khanna said.

According to AIIMS Resident Doctors' Association General Secretary Anil Sharma, although the strike has been withdrawn, the doctors will continue their "silent protest".

The strike was called by a group of resident doctors on Thursday morning after the passage of Bill that will see the end of tenure of institute Director P Venugopal.

Despite the strike, the Out Patient Department (OPDs) service at the AIIMS functioned normally today.

The Bill, that has been passed by the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, fixes 65 year as the retirement age of AIIMS Director and the Chandigarh-based Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER).

Earlier today, Venugopal moved the Supreme Court challenging the Bill.

The legislative measure stipulates that "the director shall hold office for a term of five years from the date on which he enters upon his office or until he attains 65 years of age."

The legislation follows a Delhi High Court order that the retirement age of 62 for teaching faculty and 60 for non-teaching faculty did not apply in the case of Director.

The bill is being seen as an instrument using which Union Health Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss hopes to remove AIIMS Director P Venugopal.

In August, the resident doctors had gone on strike when Ramadoss refused to sign their degrees.

ANI