4500 resident doctors all over Maharashtra, under the leadership of MARD (Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors) working in the State Govt. and Municipal Corporation  hospitals, along with 3000 interns went on strike on July 7th 2009. These doctors were protesting their  miserable working and living conditions. Though they are students, in the name of internship and “residency’ they are forced to bear the brunt of the work of running the public hospitals in Maharashtra. However these doctors have no fixed duty hours, are on call 24 hours a day, are denied sick leave and other benefits and are paid a very poor salary for their labour. In addition the condition of the hostels in which they live are poor, with many doctors to a room. It is in these conditions that they are expected to complete their graduate and post graduate studies as well.

To hide the fact that it is the Government's anti-people policies that are the cause of the problem, the State Govt. has threatened the striking doctors with termination notices. At the same time the Govt. and the media blamed the doctors for causing hardship and suffering to the patients.

To counter this vicious propaganda against them, the striking doctors ran  running parallel OPD’s outside the hospitals to treat the patients who were coming there and explained to the people their demands. Activists of Lok Raj Sangathan addressed the GBM of Resident Doctors in KEM Hospital on 10th of July and pledged their full support and promised to mobilize other sections of the working class in their support.

On the 11th of July, the resident doctors were served termination notices and asked to vacate their hostels. On the 12th of July at a massive GBM at KEM Hospital, the Doctors vowed to continue their agitation till their demands were met. At this meeting also activists of Lok Raj Sangathan addressed the GBM and read out a resolution that was placed before the All India Council of Lok Raj Sangathan in New Delhi. Malan Sonawane from the Ghar Kamgar Sangathan, a union of domestic workers, also addressed the gathering and expressed support. After this the whole body of resident doctors and interns took out a militant procession through the hospital premises and held a Gate meeting, where the leaders of MARD, the representative of Lok Raj Sangathan and Malan Sonawane addressed the angry doctors.

On July 14th in the middle of pouring rains thousands of doctors from all over Maharashtra converged on Azad Maidan and determined to continue their agitation. Seeing the militant mood of the Doctors the State government was forced to give in and on July 15th announced that the salary of the doctors would be increased by 50%, with arrears from 2007-2008, Maternity and Sick Leave would be given, Library and Hostel facilities would be improved and also agreed to regularly increase the salary every 3 years. People's Voice salutes the resolute and united struggle of the doctors for their rights.