Director of Medical Education (DME) Thomas Mathew on Friday issued an order directing that the weekly working hours of postgraduate medicos in government medical college hospitals (MCHs) be strictly restricted to 60 hours and that they be mandatorily allowed a day’s weekly off .
Following the order, PG medicos and house surgeons called off their Statewide strike which had run into the third day and was threatening to throw the entire day-to-day working of the MCHs into disarray. The medicos rejoined duty on Friday evening itself.
The order was issued by the DME soon after the talks between Health Minister Veena George and the medicos. During the talks, the medicos had insisted that rather than just promises they needed a written assurance.
