# Cities

ESMA invoked against doctors’ strike in J-K

He said ensuring adequate healthcare services had become more imperative especially in view of the flood alert sounded by the government due to inclement weather conditions.

Statesman News Service | Jammu | July 4, 2018 3:23 pm

ESMA invoked against doctors’ strike in J-K

The Jammu and Kashmir Government on Wednesday invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to deal with the strike called by doctors in various health institutions of the state.

“The Government can’t allow the hapless patients to suffer and in order to ensure that there is no disruption of healthcare services, it has been decided that ESMA would be invoked to deal with the strike called by the medicos,” a senior officer in the health and medical education department said.

He said ensuring adequate healthcare services had become more imperative especially in view of the flood alert sounded by the government due to inclement weather conditions.

Functioning of the Government Medical College (GMC) in Srinagar and its associated hospitals came to a standstill on Tuesday as the medics went on an indefinite strike in support of their demands.

Their demands include pay parity with Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences counterparts and making an assault on doctors a non-bailable offence.