Telangana government teaching doctors up the ante over demands

Hyderabad: Members of the Telangana Teaching Government Doctors' Association (TTGDA) on Monday protested wearing black badges demanding filling of vacancies by direct recruitment to reduce the burden on existing faculty, enhancement of stipends on the lines of AIIMS, NIMS and keeping in abeyance the circular for evening OPs. Doctors in all medical colleges and affiliated-government general hospitals staged demonstrations. Their demands include: releasing 56 months of PRC dues, creation of DME post, general transfers, implementation of EL encashment. They said they would continue the protest wearing black badges on Tuesday. The Telangana Junior Doctors' Association also supported the protest of the government doctors. It wanted authorities to keep the circular of evening OPs in abeyance. "We, the members of T-JUDA, hereby bring to your kind notice that we oppose circular pertaining to evening OPs without addressing the basic requirements and solving problems faced by junior doctors which will impact our mental and physical health, along with academics, with further extension in working hours," said N Karthik in a representation to Director of Medical Education K Ramesh Reddy.

Meanwhile, OPs from 4 pm to 6 pm were started from Monday at Osmania General Hospital with the Departments of General Medicine, General Surgery and Orthopaedics to start with. According to doctors, the routine lab investigations were also done and reports issued the same day. Medicines for patients were dispersed in the OP dispensary. Ultrasound for OP patients was also done from 9 am to 4 pm; reports were issued the same day for review in the evening clinics.

Authorities thanked Health minister T Harish Rao, on whose directions these facilities are implemented in government hospitals. He urged the public to make use of the evening OPs to get proper advice and treatment.