Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, Oct 2: The High Court ordered both the Government Doctors Association and the state government on Thursday October 1, to file separate affidavits relating to the mass resignation move by the government doctors.

The High Court division bench comprising Justice Arali Nagaraj and Justice H Billappa took up for consideration, a public interest petition moved by advocate Vasudev, who has submitted that the resignations will adversely affect the poor and backward classes of the state.

Through the petition, the petitioner said that the agitation by the doctors has turned the condition of poor, sick patients in the state miserable. He questioned as to who would care for them and what are the alternative measures in place, to provide them access to treatment and medicines. He also questioned the move of the doctors to go ahead with their confrontational programme, in spite of a stay having been issued by the court against any agitations.

The advocates representing the government doctors said that the doctors are not on strike, as there is a ban on strike. "As the facilities being provided by the government are not proper, it has been given time till October 14 to set right the anomalies. We hope that our demands would be met by then. If that happens, the doctors will withdraw their resignations," they said. The bench asked both the parties to file affidavits about the demands, steps being taken to meet them etc., before adjourning the hearing.

Association president Dr H N Ravindra has said that the Association has not received any official invitation from the government to take part in the negotiations. If the government does not fulfill the justifiable demands of the doctors, non-cooperation movement will be launched. At the same time, clinics will be opened by the doctors from the village level up to the state capital level, for providing treatment to the patients. Already dialogues on this issue have been held with three private companies. Plans to extend this service all over the state have already been finalized, he explained.