Jodhpur, Sept. 27 -- The resident doctors' strike at AIIMS Jodhpur continued to disrupt outpatient and OPD services as it entered its fourth day on Saturday, people aware of the matter said. Union culture minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat met the striking doctors on Saturday and appealed to them to call off the agitation. Later in the day, the AIIMS administration said no decision had been reached on whether OPD services would return to normal from Monday. Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot also weighed in on the standoff, referring to the alleged suicide of a first-year anaesthesia resident as extremely unfortunate. In a post on X, he appealed to the AIIMS administration and resident doctors to resolve the impasse through dialogue and sensitivity so that patients do not suffer. Gehlot said AIIMS Jodhpur is a crucial healthcare centre for western Rajasthan and other regions and urged the administration to address residents' concerns while putting safeguards in place to prevent such incidents in the future. The strike has already taken a toll on patient care. A doctor familiar with its impact said around 15,000 OPD patients had been affected over the past three days. The protest was triggered by the alleged suicide of the first-year anaesthesia resident on September 22 and has since expanded beyond the hospital's corridors. On Friday evening, resident doctors held a candle march before shifting their sit-in to the residence of Executive Director Dr G.D. Puri. The deadlock persisted despite AIIMS chairperson Dr Tejas M. Patel travelling from Gujarat for talks with resident representatives on Friday. The residents have reiterated their demands for Dr Puri's resignation and Rs.5 crore compensation for the deceased's family. Meanwhile, the Medical Faculty Association (MFA) on Saturday backed the institute's leadership, saying it did not support the demand for Dr Puri's resignation. The association, however, acknowledged the residents' concerns and urged that the crisis be resolved through continued dialogue and institutional mechanisms....