Protesting against the Health Minister's decision to send them to work in rural areas and scrapping their urban postings, medical officers across the state went on a two-day mass casual leave from yesterday.

Protesting doctors are demanding that they be allowed to continue with their existing postings and fresh recruitments be made to fill vacant posts in rural areas.

Emergency services in government hospitals and administrative work were hit as a result of the doctors' agitation.

Dr Ulhas Vasave, joint secretary of Maharashtra Association of Gazetted Medical Officers said doctors would widen the stir if their demands were not met in 48 hours. "The vacant posts are 2,700 and there are barely 400 medical officers currently. Of these 200 are temporary and 100 have completed 25 years of service. That means only 100 doctors are left, and why shift them?" he said. "This will not serve the purpose. Instead they should recruit more doctors for rural areas."