Patna, (Bihar Times): As the strike completes its eighth day on Saturday the state government suspended 27 health workers on charges of indiscipline, hooliganism, dereliction of duty and inciting people against the government.

Though the state government has recently invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) in an attempt to end the ongoing statewide protest by paramedics the move has failed to yield any result.

According to director, health services, Geeta Prasad the government has also directed the authorities not to allow dissenting workers to join duty.

The health workers, who are on strike since the November 30 police lathicharge on their women colleagues in Patna, have now threatened the government to launch fresh protests from December 10. Many of those women who protested on November 30 were stuffed into jail and are yet not out.

The leader of the striking employees, Tarakant Prasad, they would not sit idly and the government would have to yield to their demands. The strike had crippled functioning in all the government hospitals of the state.