Rajasthan doctors continue strike for third day as patients continue to suffer, 19 arrested in Jaipur

Jaipur: Patients and their family members continued to suffer as in-service doctors in Rajasthan remained on strike for the third day on Monday while police arrested 19 of them. [caption id=“attachment_3193476” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Health services crippled in government hospitals especially in primary and community health care centres where in-service doctors staff were mostly employed. As many as 19 doctors were arrested on Monday from different districts under the Rajasthan Essential Services Maintenance Act (RESMA), taking the total to 84 so far, an official said. “We have arrested a total of 84 doctors under RESMA in the last three days. Nineteen were arrested on Monday,” Additional Director General (law and Order) NRK Reddy said. The doctors went on strike on 16 December when police started its crackdown and arrested a few of them under the Act, which was invoked on Thursday when doctors warned of a strike from 18 December. Fearing their arrest, all office bearers of the all-Rajasthan in-service government doctors association remained unavailable for their comment. Doctors are on strike alleging that government was not implementing the agreement that they reached in a meeting on 13 November and following the transfer of 12 doctors, including ARISDA president Dr Ajay Chaudhary.