Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy warned that criminal cases would be booked against doctors if any patient in government hospitals dies due to lack of treatment in the wake of the junior doctors’ strike.

Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, Mr Reddy dismissed the campaign in a section of media that deaths in state hospitals have mounted following the strike. “They (junior doctors) do not treat patients, but only assist the senior doctors in the treatment,” he said.

Maintaining that no case of patient dying due to negligence or absence of doctors had been reported so far, Mr Reddy said the police would be asked to book a criminal case if any such incident takes place. He found fault with the junior doctors for dishonouring an agreement they had entered into with the state in 2010 on stipend.

The Chief Minister said the government had hiked stipends by 125 per cent last year, following which the junior doctors agreed for a 15 per cent hike in 2012 and another 15 per cent in 2014. “The agreement is valid till 2016 but the junior doctors have broken it, ” he stated. The CM was hopeful that the Cabinet sub-committee dealing with the matter would find a solution to the strike very soon. On health minister D.L. Ravindra Reddy falling sick, he said he had received a communication in this regard.