Bhubaneswar: Health services were hit in hospitals across Orissa as nurses began a strike demanding pay hike while striking junior doctors at three government medical colleges suspended their stir and resumed work today following 'fruitful' talks with authorities.

Nurses in various hospitals struck work to press for their demands including increase in salary, upgradation of their grade to that equivalent to junior engineers and regularisation of service of those on contract, official sources said.

At SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, nurses demonstrated and gheraoed the office of the medical superintendent, Prof Trilochan Sahu, hospital sources said.

Similar demonstrations were staged by nurses at MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur and other hospitals as the agitators raised slogans in support of their demands.

However, bringing some relief to patients, junior doctors in the three government medical colleges in Cuttack, Berhampur and Burla suspended their strike on the ninth day of the agitation, spokesman of the Junior Doctors Association S K Sahu said.

"We have resumed work following assurance given by senior health department officials during discussion that our stipend would be hiked very soon," he said.

The decision to resume work was taken also keeping in mind the inconvenience caused to a large number of patients, Sahu said.
Source : PTI