Protesting doctors in Rajasthan called off their strike on Wednesday evening, 12 days after they had begun it. Their decision came after a seven-hour-long meeting with members of the government. The strike had crippled healthcare services in Rajasthan for the second time in two months.

The doctors are expected to resume working on Thursday. All Rajasthan In-Service Doctors Association President Ajay Choudhary told the Hindustan Times that the government has accepted all their demands.

Doctors working at government health centres in Rajasthan – associated with the All Rajasthan In-Service Doctors Association – first went on a strike on November 6, but ended it after six days when the government accepted most demands. But they decided to go on a mass leave again from December 18 after a dozen doctors were transferred by the government.

However, angered by the arrest of several doctors on December 15 under the Rajasthan Essential Services Maintenance Act, the doctors began their strike two days earlier than planned. As many as 900 resident doctors and 100 senior resident doctors at the Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur joined the strike after the arrests.

On December 19, the Rajasthan High Court had court ordered doctors across the state to resume work immediately and told the state government to not arrest those who return to work. But on December 25, the court directed the state government to arrest the president and general secretary of the doctors’ association if they did not reach an agreement with the administration to end their strike.

What the doctors wanted

They had asked the for a sub-cabinet committee to look into the anomalies in a programme called the Dynamic Accelerated Career Promotion, and also wanted the state to cancel the transfer order of around 12 doctors. Among other things, they had also asked that cases registered under the Rajasthan Essential Services Maintenance Act 1970 and judicial cases be withdrawn.