Criteria for a just strike action by medical doctors

In response to a strike action by some doctors at the Safdarjung Hospital, the Delhi Medical Council issued a statement, in December 2010, that it was "...of the view that under no circumstances doctors should resort to strike as the same puts patient care in serious jeopardy and such actions are also in violation of the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002". Statements such as this are common responses of medical councils across the world whenever they are confronted with the increasingly difficult issue of striking doctors. Evidently, these statements are not effective in stopping doctors from repeatedly engaging in strike action. In India, the statement by the medical council was, for instance, followed by many strikes, amongst which was the well-publicised nationwide strike initiated by the Indian Medical Association in June 2012.