Ranchi, 18 October

Doctors' associations in Jharkhand on Sunday deferred their call for "indefinite work boycott", scheduled from October 22, following an assurance from the state government.

At least eight such associations decided on September 27 to launch a phased agitation demanding, among other things, exemption of small hospitals and single-doctor or doctor-couple clinics from certain provisions of the Clinical Establishments Act (CEA) and the implementation of the Medical Protection Act (MPA).

The agitation, called by the Jharkhand unit of the IMA and Jharkhand State Health Services Association (JHASA) among others, started on October 13, with doctors carrying out routine work wearing black badges.

“We have decided to postpone the announced agitation until December 14,” IMA state secretary Pradip Kumar Singh said.

"Following a meeting with the team of the Additional Chief Secretary (Health) regarding the resolution of the long-pending demands of doctors, and in light of the decisions taken during the meeting, it was unanimously decided that the state government would be given until December 14 to fulfill these demands," the associations said in a statement.

If no concrete action is taken on the demands and those remain unresolved by the stipulated deadline, “doctors across the state will launch the strike, ceasing all work, from December 15”, it said.