APJUDA serves strike notice against GO no.107

Tirupati: AP Junior Doctors Association (APJUDA) gave strike notice to the Director of Medical Education (DME) and principals of various government medical colleges on Wednesday. The junior doctors have been protesting against the government’s decision implementing self-financing and NRI quota in government medical colleges of AP and withdrawal of concerned GO no.107.

In a statement, the doctors said that on behalf of APJUDA they strongly object the government decision to categorise the seats in the government medical colleges newly permitted from the academic year 2023-24 into self-financing and NRI quota. They observed that it will result in undue reduction of total number of available seats for the eligible students who irrespective of their financial status can join in government medical colleges.

There will be reduction in seats reserved for EWS, OBS, SC, ST against the increased seats and will commercialise the medical education in government medical colleges. They recalled that no state in the country have such categorisation and massive fee of Rs.12-20 lakhs per annum in government medical colleges. As there was no response from the authorities concerned, they said that there was no other option but to go on strike.

The APJUDA has announced the action plan of their agitation. Accordingly, they will submit representations to local MLAs and MPs and conduct awareness rally with the campus after duty hours on August 3. On the next day they will conduct candle rally in the campuses followed by peaceful road rally outside the campus on August 5. From August 7, they will boycott the electives. In Tirupati, the junior doctors gave the strike notice to the Principal Dr PA Chandrasekharan and Ruia hospital superintendent Dr G Ravi Prabhu.