CM Deplores Doctors' Strike: Teaching hospitals affected

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JAN. 6. Teaching hospitals attached to Government medical colleges remained affected as the State-wide strike by house surgeons and post-graduate students demanding higher stipend entered the second day on Thursday.

In Osmania, the biggest hospital in Andhra Pradesh, out-patients were turned back while many in-patients were discharged as junior doctors boycotted work. Only emergency cases were handled by a small team of doctors.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister, Mr. N.Chandrababu Naidu, is ``very much pained'' to see that medical post-graduate students and house surgeons are agitating for their demands while Janmabhoomi programme is on, disrupting medical camps being conducted as part of the programme. In a statement, he said that this showed their ``lack of responsiveness and indiscipline'' towards the needs of the poor, in spite of the assurances given by the Minister for Medical and Health, and the Secretary, Medical and Health, that all issues will be discussed across the table.

Patients, who came to the Osmania Hospital unaware of the strike, flayed the authorities for allowing the situation to worsen. Earlier, members of the A. P. Junior Doctors Association (APJDA) picketed the entrance to the hospital and prevented senior doctors from attending to ward duties. In the absence of fresh admissions, the in- patient wards wore an empty look.

Meanwhile, APJDA representatives reportedly made some progress in their talks with the Health Minister, Dr. S. Aruna, at Guntur on Wednesday. The APJDA president, Dr G. S. Gyaneshwar, the vice- president, Dr. Ashok Rathod, the general secretary, Dr. M. Jayachandra Naidu, and others participated in the discussions.

Dr. Gyaneshwar told The Hindu on his return from Guntur that the APJDA revised its earlier demand for a three-fold hike in monthly stipend for post-graduates. After detailed discussions, the APJDA settled for a monthly allowance of Rs. 4,000 for house-surgeons (presently Rs. 2,100), Rs. 7,200 (Rs. 3,124), Rs. 7,600 (Rs. 3,324) and Rs. 8,000 (Rs. 3,498) for PG students in the first, second and third years respectively.

The Minister did not give any assurance on their new demands stating that she convey her decision after studying the proposals and consulting officials. The association threatened that it would go ahead with its plan of disrupting emergency services from January 7 if the Government did not respond positively to its demands. Dr. Aruna reportedly turned down the demand for introducing the resident system on the ground that she would have to seek views of senior doctors and nurses before making such a drastic change.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Regional
Next     : CM orders removal of farm college Principal,
           varsity Dean