Date:15/07/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/07/15/stories/2005071519010300.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Guntur

Medicos run parallel outpatient clinic

Staff Reporter

Our strike was for welfare of people, say junior doctors

700 patients attended to
Doctors to join duties this morning

Association says students and people's organisations support their cause

GUNTUR: The Andhra Pradesh Junior Doctors Association on Thursday organised parallel outpatient clinic at the main gate of the Government General Hospital here and attended on 700 patients before withdrawing their agitation at 4 p.m.

The APJUDA Guntur unit secretary, Ramesh, said that they had withdrawn their strike following the High Court judgment on Thursday and sent a message to people that their strike was for the welfare of people. "To reduce the inconvenience among patients we screened them and distributed medicines free of cost," he said.

All the junior doctors would join duties on Friday morning, the association leaders said. Heavy rain in the city did not deter the junior doctors from conducting parallel clinics under tents outside the GGH main gate.

The junior doctors claimed that none had joined duties in the past two days though the GGH Superintendent, P. Bhagavannarayana, had said that 30 of them had done so after the A.P. High Court had threatened to cancel their registrations.

The association leaders said that 14 students' and people's organisations had supported their strike.

Interestingly the death rate in the Government Hospital had come down during the strike period, the doctors pointed out.