Junior doctors protest at the SCB Medical College and Hospital. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, March 20: Around 500 junior doctors of referral hospitals in Orissa’s three government medical colleges continued with their indefinite strike and protest against alleged government apathy.

The juniors have continued to strike, even as seniors working in peripheral health centres across Orissa deferred their agitation after the government conceded to most of their demands, including salary hike and promotion.

The junior doctors are demanding a hike in their monthly stipend under the aegis of the Junior Doctors’ Association in the three medical colleges in Burla, Berhampur and Cuttack.

They ceased work from Wednesday, exactly a month from submitting a memorandum to the government.

“We were left with no other option but to go on the strike as there was no response from the government,” said Paresh Behera, the president of the doctors’ association at SCB Medical College and Hospital.

“In fact, on March 13 we had made it clear that if the demands were not met with by March 18, junior doctors would cease work,” Behera added.

Presently, juniors receive Rs 8,819 in the first year of work, Rs 9,609 in the second year and Rs 10,398 in the third year of work.

The doctors on strike claimed that their salary was poor when compared to that of their counterparts in Bihar (who get Rs 13,000 in the third year), Jharkhand (Rs 16,000 again in the third year) and Uttar Pradesh (Rs 17,000).

The agitating doctors have demanded a hike in their monthly stipend to Rs 13,000 in their first year, equivalent to the basic salary of assistant surgeons appointed by the Orissa government.