Doctors in the health department have been on strike for a long time over inaccuracies in the pay reform. Because they are peace-loving, they have taken the path of tolerant struggle despite knowing that such struggles won’t be able to awaken those in power today. But fortunately they are not ready to move into an all-out struggle that makes patients suffer. That is why the doctors have been protesting for the last two weeks in the Secretariat. Doctors have been standing right under the nose of the administrative center all day. But it is unfortunate that neither the health minister nor the government has been able to summon their representatives to the secretariat to discuss the issue and reach a compromise. The government may be thinking that the doctors may leave once their legs ache. The government should realise that the precious time and energy of government doctors, who are described as public health guards, should not be wasted on the streets like this.

It is natural for any organized group to have complaints about service and pay. When solution gets delayed, there is no other way but to strike. Doctors adopted the same approach. The government has an obligation to look into doctors' allegations that their basic salaries and allowances have been reduced as a result of the pay reform. They are demanding that the slashed benefits be reinstated. If there has been a setback for doctors in the pay revision, it should be rectified. All that can be done is to call the representatives of the doctors and discuss in a friendly atmosphere. But the government is turning its back on them for going on strike. This is not the right approach. Doctors are unhappy that no action has been taken to resolve the issue even two weeks after the strike began. They are protesting in a way that does not cause any inconvenience to the patients in the hospitals. They are preparing to intensify the agitation, perhaps because they are convinced that the government will turn a blind eye to this kind of tolerant struggle. Strikes, including group holidays, have been announced.

Complaints lodged by the doctors' union regarding irregularities in the pay revision are being considered by the Finance Ministry. It is often said that the decision will not be delayed. But the reality is that the indefinite delay prompted doctors to go on strike.

The government should be aware in advance of the dangers that the poor may face if the doctors go on an indefinite strike. The health department should step in to resolve the issue, leaving the indifferent approach. The organization has issued a notice stating that it will take a mass holiday on January 18. Even if doctors strike for an hour, not a day, one need not tell how much damage is done. Do not forget the fact the poor and the common man depend on government hospitals. The government has to find a solution to doctors’ problem without forcing them to the streets. The state will not sink in the Arabian Sea just because it accepts the legitimacy of their demands. The government must show generosity in recognizing the services of doctors.