Warangal: Junior doctors protest

Warangal: Junior and senior resident doctors working with the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital (MGMH) abstained from duties in protest against the government's lackadaisical approach towards their demands.

Dr Swaroop, vice president of Telangana Junior Doctors Association, said that the government has always promised to address their problems, but it never reflected in the deed.

If a doctor is alive, he/she can save 1,000 lives. "The Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao who recently visited Gandhi hospital in Secunderabad responded positively to the demands of junior doctors. However, the CM hasn't taken a decision in that regard," R Swaroop said.

Referring to their demands, the protesting doctors said all healthcare workers who are infected with Covid-19 should be given free home treatment.

They said that it's difficult to get proper treatment even for the doctors in the hospital. The doctors demanded ex-gratia to the families of healthcare workers who die due to coronavirus.

Although it was promised to pay a 15 % hike in stipend from January 2020, the GO issued by the government shows that it will be effective from January 2021, the doctors said. The protestors also demanded a 10 % incentive to the healthcare workers. The protestors warned that they would boycott the emergency duties if their justifiable demands were not fulfilled by the government.