Jr doctors begin indefinite strike

Hyderabad: The talks between the junior doctors and the government were not fruitful on Monday, as Health Minister Damodar Raja Narsimha assured them of having discussions on the green channel even as outpatient services continued in the hospitals with the support of the senior assistant surgeons and with alternative measures taken by the hospital management on the first day of the indefinite strike.

The junior doctors boycotted all the outpatient services on Monday as part of their indefinite strike against the government's indecision on stipends and other issues. The doctors said that they would continue their protest until the government starts a green channel for payment of their stipends. They also wanted police outposts and security to be provided to the doctors in every hospital in the State.

“Every month, we go to the finance department for the release of stipends. Andhra Pradesh has a green channel. We want the same here,” said Dr Sai Sri Harsha, the president of the Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA). The doctors protested at Osmania Medical College, raising the slogan, 'We don’t need an old building; we want a new building'.

The doctors said that the Osmania Hospital condition was deteriorating day by day. One of the doctors said, “The Minister told us that it has only been six months since the Congress government has come to power, and he said, Can't we wait for a few more days?”

“We are roaming for ten days for a stipend of one month. We will not stop until a GO is released officially. They promised to send it within ten days of every month, but so far no such measures have been taken,” said a junior doctor.

The doctors said that they would continue the strike until a decision was made. The other demands of the JUDAs include the payment of a stipend of Rs 1.25 lakh to super specialty senior residents. They have demanded that the AP students should not be given a chance in the increased 15 per cent seats in medical colleges, and action should be taken to prevent attacks on doctors. Speaking to reporters, Gandhi Hospital Superintendent Dr Raja Rao said that alternative arrangements were being made to ensure no inconvenience was caused to the patients. The leaves of the doctors and assistants have been cancelled, and they were asked to attend to their duties. He expected that the issues of the junior doctors would be solved and they would join their duties soon.