Govt. concedes demands but medicos want 'proof'

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, NOV. 4. Almost all demands of the striking junior doctors, including the plea for scrapping compulsory rural service for post-graduates, were conceded by the State Government on Sunday.

While welcoming the Government's `positive response' the A. P. Junior Doctors Association (APJUDA) did not, however, call off its four-day-old strike demanding `concrete proof' that the Government was translating its assurances into action.

The only concession that junior doctors made to the offer was to postpone by 24 hours their proposed boycott of emergency services in all teaching hospitals. They said the strike would be called off only after consultations with the joint action committee (JAC) and leaders of the 10 Government medical colleges.

To their pleasant surprise, they were presented on arrival for talks with the Health Minister, Dr. S. Aruna, and her team of officials a bunch of five Government memos and orders issued on November 1 and 3 on the demands conceded by the Government after the medicos' strike in January 2000 but not implemented so far.

No written orders were, however, passed on the main demand for cancellation of GOMs. 284 issued in July 2001 making one-year service compulsory for post-graduate students. The Minister said the GO had been challenged in the High Court and the Government would take a positive decision on Monday as students had expressed difficulty in pursuing the PG course for one more year.

The Principal Secretary, Health, Mr. A. K. Tigdi, the Director- General of Medical and Health, Dr. K. Anji Reddy, and other senior officials besides the APJUDA president, Dr. K. Hari Prasad, and the hon. president, Dr. M. Harikrishna, the general secretary, Dr. J. Srinivas, were among those who participated in the talks.

Briefing reporters later, she announced that Rs. 15 lakhs would be set apart for each medical college for library improvement. The Hospital Development Society of each teaching hospital would set apart this amount as first commitment from out of Rs. 1 crore collected towards user charges.

The Principals of all colleges had been directed to limit the internship period of MBBS students to one year in tune with the Medical Council of India's (MCI) regulations and stop collection of Rs. 4,000 each from students admitted into MBBS and PG courses towards hospital development.

The Government also agreed to increase the existing 696 PG seats by 215, including 71 on the clinical and 144 on the non-clinical side. This falls short of the APJUDA's demand for adding 333 seats but the Minister justified it, saying staff and infrastructure were available for adding only 215 seats.

She disclosed that the Government had already paid Rs. 80.50 lakhs to the MCI towards inspection fee and recognition of PG courses. As many as 172 medical courses have to be recognised of which the MCI has recently recognised 11 in six medical colleges. It has also inspected 97 courses in eight colleges and communicated deficiencies for 37 which were being rectified. Dr. Aruna said the DME was making an assessment of the amount required for recognition of the remaining courses.

The Minister said the Government had also issued constituted a five-member committee to study the feasibility of implementing the residency system in teaching hospitals. It would consist of the DG, M& H, the Directors of Medical Education and Health besides two representatives of APJUDA.

The only hitch during the otherwise smooth talks was the question of introducing more PG seats in dental colleges. The Minister made it clear that this was neither on the agenda for discussions nor did the Government possess the infrastructure to increase the dental PG seats.

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