Chennai, May 12: Hardening its stand, Tamil Nadu government has decided to recruit 100 doctors for each district in view of the proposed indefinite strike by government doctors from May 21. The government, which has already threatened to invoke ESMA against doctors if they struck work, appealed to them not to go ahead with the planned strike.
The process to recruit doctors would commence from May 21, health department sources said.
The department has also appealed to students, agitating for the last 19 days against the government move to privatise medical education, to call off their agitation.
The health authorities also directed government hospitals and state health centres to discharge recuperating inpatients and whose hospitalisation was absolutely not necessary.
Tamil Nadu government doctors association lending its support to the medicos had announced a series of measures, including a one-day strike on may 14 and an indefinite strike from May 21 if the need arose, to make the government abandon its privatisation proposal.
The students are also protesting against suspension of stipend, hike in tuition fees and eviction from hostels.
Meanwhile, police continued to round up medical students indulging in demonstrations and road rokos in various parts of the state as part of their agitation.
A group of fasting medical students at Coimbatore, however, gave up their fast-unto-death last night on the advice of senior government doctors. Bureau Report