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Doctors’ strike: summons to association president

HYDERABAD: The division bench of the High Court comprising Acting Chief Justice Bilal Nazki and Justice Ramesh Ranganathan on Tuesday took a serious view of the continuing junior doctors association’s strike and ordered for the presence of its president before the court on Wednesday.

Expressing deep displeasure and anguish at the attitude of the striking junior doctors, the bench indicated that serious penal action will follow if the office-bearer who has received the notice refuses to appear before the court. It said that the registration of the Medical Council will have to be reviewed. Dealing with a public interest petition, the bench did not take kindly to the adamant attitude of the junior doctors in continuing the strike which was causing loss of lives of innocent and helpless children. Advocate General C. V. Mohan Reddy informed the court that steps were being taken to redress the grievances as per the orders of the State Human Rights Commission.

Meanwhile, the stand-off between the agitating junior doctors and the Government continued for the eleventh day on Tuesday as their discussions with Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy failed to break the deadlock.

A delegation of junior doctors met Dr. Reddy at his camp office on Tuesday morning and expressed dissatisfaction over the Government not giving concrete assurances on their demands. These included stringent action against MIM MLA Afsar Khan and his associates who physically attacked them and provision of security for hospitals.

The Chief Minister is learnt to have told them that the Government was considering their demands sympathetically and steps had been initiated. It would take some time as the Government needed to follow stipulated rules and guidelines.

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