Chennai: Majority of agitating medicos have ended their strike against extension of MBBS course by one year, but the scholars of six colleges in Tamil Nadu are still continuing their protests.

The convener of the Federation of Students of Medical Colleges in Tamil Nadu, an umbrella organization spearheading the protest, Janakiraman told that the students of ten medical colleges have called off their agitation and efforts were on to persuade the students of six other colleges.

The decision to end the agitation was taken last night, after the students were assured by State Health Minister M R K Panneerselvam that Chief Minister M Karunanidhi would take up the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss.

The agitation of medicos was spurred by Ramadoss' proposal to extend the duration of the course from the present five-and-a-half years to six-and-a-half years, making the medicos work in rural areas as part of their MBBS curriculum. The medicos continued their agitation, despite several pleas by Ramadoss, Karunanidhi and Panneerselvam. Almost all political parties, except the PMK, founded by Anbumani's father Ramadoss, had extended support to the agitating medicos.