"We have invoked ESMA against the striking resident doctors," Principal Secretary of Health Ravi Saxena said on Sunday.
"Now that they are under ESMA, they can be arrested or detained also," he said.
However, Gujarat Association of Resident Doctors (GARD), in a statement said the doctors are prepared to face the "action to be initiated by the authorities."
"We are ready to face any action initiated against us. However, we want the government to resolve the issue by negotiation," GARD said in the statement.
The government also warned that if the doctors continued their strike, steps will be taken to terminate their registration from tomorrow morning. "We had several rounds of talks with the representatives of the resident doctors but so far they have been adamant, forcing us to terminate them," Saxena said.
"We have also written to the parents of the doctors, advising them to counsel their children, who have worked hard to reach this level," he said, adding, unfortunately they are "spoiling" their own career.
