Gandhinagar: Deputy CM Nitinbhai Patel said that the strike of resident doctors is unreasonable. He said the doctors should withdraw the strike and resume their service to mankind.

Patel who is also Health minister of the State stated that the state government is open for discussion if their demands are reasonable but the government will never accept the unreasonable demands.

He pointed out that the resident doctors aren’t students anymore as they have received their degrees and they should leave hostels and immediately join the CHCs (Community Health Centres) and hospitals at district and talukas where they have been appointed with good pay scale. Patel added that as per the conditions of the bonds that they signed when taking admission, the doctors are supposed to give their services in rural areas for one- or three-years duration.

State government has issued an order to the bonded doctors for giving service in the rural areas from 1st August 2021 onwards, he said. Those PG students willing to exempt from the bond are supposed to deposit the fixed amount of the bond to their respective medical college. He stated that as per the provisions of the Epidemic Act existing from years, the government can seek the service of the service people including the doctors.

He added that additional benefits were given to all the resident doctors by the state government for their Covid-19 duty.