In a press release, Aslam Parvez, president of the association, stated that: “Undue cuts in salaries, service conditions and other benefits such as gazette rank medical leaves, paternity leave, earned leaves, increments, medical reimbursement and promotions had been introduced.”

Another matter of great concern was shortage and irregular supply of medicines and lack of medical equipment in rural dispensaries.

“There is no supply of pediatric and gynecological medicines though 70 per cent of the patients in rural dispensaries are women and children. We are going to mobilise the people to demand their health rights and fight for the betterment of rural health,” said state vice-president Dr Ravikant Gupta.

Advisor of the association, J P S Narula, asserted that the contract system, adopted by the state government for rural medical services, was responsible for the conflict between doctors and villagers.

“I apprehend that the existing conflict could escalate in the future as a result of faulty government health policies,” he added.