– Ronita Torcato 

The Central Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (Central MARD) and BMC MARD has called off their statewide strike after receiving an assurance from chief minister Devendra Fadnavis regarding the core demands raised in the Phaltan woman doctor’s suicide.

The protest demanded justice for the suicide victim and better safety and accountability mechanisms for resident doctors across the state.

The woman doctor, hailing from Beed district of central Maharashtra, was found dead in a hotel room in Phaltan, Satara on October 23.

In a suicide note written on her palm, the doctor had alleged that sub-inspector Gopal Badane raped her on several occasions, while Prashant Bankar, a software engineer, mentally harassed her. Both have been arrested.

Interestingly, the deceased doctor’s sister has claimed that the handwriting on the palm is not of the victim, but someone else.

In the backdrop of the state-wide agitation called by Central MARD, a meeting was held by medical education minister Hasan Mushrif and the director of the medical education department Dr. Ajay Chandanwale with Dr. Sachin Patil (President Central MARD), Dr. Mahesh Tidke , Dr. Kunal Goyal and Dr. Mahesh Gurav among, others.

At the meeting, minister Mushrif had listened to the issues raised by resident doctors and urged them to call off the ongoing strike “so that the agitation did not disrupt non-emergency medical services at government hospitals statewide.” 

He had also assured them that a high-level SIT would be formed under the leadership of a retired judge to conduct a fair and comprehensive investigation into the case and that the state government would “consider their demands and further steps would be taken at the earliest.”

A MARD medico said, “We want an immediate decision regarding our demands and we hope a positive solution will be reached after further discussions with the state government.” 

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