Hyderabad: Doctors stage dharna, demand government to fulfil pending promises

Hyderabad: More than 1,000 doctors, both seniors and juniors, staged a dharna at Nallakunta by holding a meeting 'Prajaarogya Parirakshana' on Sunday. The meeting demanded that the State government immediately concede their long-pending demands.

Doctors working in government hospitals across the State did not attend their duties from 10 am to 5 pm. The protesting doctors said that the promise made by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is not yet fulfilled. The demand of providing round-the-clock 30 bedded hospitals with four doctors in each mandal was also promised in the TRS manifesto of 2014.

Former Health Minister and BJP MLA Eatala Rajender participated in the meeting.

Addressing the gathering, Eatala said, "In Telangana, IT graduates passed out from universities get good salaries, but our doctors receive very less pay."

He said that though he had many ideas and schemes which could have been implemented to strengthen the healthcare system of the State, he could not implement them due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

He stated that a large number of doctors including other medical staff were hired on a contract basis during the Covid-19 pandemic. They all should be accommodated in multi-specialty and super-specialty hospitals.

Doctors who are working in the major government hospitals of the State including Gandhi, Osmania and NIMS boycotted their duties as they were demanding the government to immediately release notifications for regular recruitment for all healthcare workers.

Dr Mahesh, President of the Healthcare Reforms Doctors' Association stated that the association has submitted several memorandums to the State Health Minister demanding to immediately abolish in-charge administration and promote the doctors on a seniority basis which has been pending for approval by the government.

He said there are 700 vacancies in PHCs and there was no direct recruitment since 2017. Many specialist vacancies are there in CHCs. "To encourage quacks and quackery, primary healthcare was neglected by the Telangana government intentionally," said Dr Mahesh.

The doctors also pointed out that there is a shortfall of 17 per cent of Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and a shortfall of 58 per cent of Community Health Centres (CHCs).

Senior doctors alleged that most of the PHCs are running with a single medical officer and the cadre strength increase file is pending with the government for five years. They asked for the establishment and appointment of doctors in PHCs as per norms.