HYDERABAD: The Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA) has finally called off their five-day strike after the Health Minister, Eatela Rajender, assured them of meeting all their demands, in a meeting on Saturday.
Their decision came as a relief to patients who were being refused treatment at the Osmania General Hospital and Gandhi Hospital after the junior doctors went on a strike for the last five days.
After a meeting with the minister, the TJUDA gave a representation of their demands. Dr PS Vijayender, chairman of TJUDA, told Express, “We have been assured of all the demands presented to the health minister, and therefore are willing to call off the strike.”
However, many senior doctors, who are professors or already highly-placed in administrative posts, have been in support of the age-hike and have alleged that junior doctors are being instigated by their seniors with vested interests.
Meanwhile, the Directorate of Public Health Wing at the Telangana Government Doctors Association, also met with Eatela Rajender to put forward their views in the matter of age-hike and implementation of the Career Advancement Scheme.
Dr Lalu Prasad, general secretary TGGDA (DH Wing) said, “This issue has led to a rift among doctors for over a year now. The doctors from the Directorate of Public Health and Family welfare and Telangana Vaidya Vidhana Parishad (TVVP) work in tribal and rural locations, therefore we would like the implementation of CAS and age-hike to be extended to doctors of TVVP and DH, without any discrimination.”
TGGDA (DH) also submitted a letter to the Principal Secretary of Health, Medical and Family Welfare, A Santhi Kumari.
Explaining the details, she said, “The structure of promotional avenues under the Director of Public Health is very limited. This leads to stagnation with many doctors who join as Civil Assistant Surgeons, end up retiring as Civil Assistant Surgeons without even a single promotion in their career.”
Demands of the junior doctors
The demands include recruitment of teaching doctors to be taken up through medical recruitment board, withdrawal of notification to hire medical faculty on a contract basis for Suryapet and Nalgonda Medical Colleges, and age-hike rules to be implemented for all administrative posts only by consultation of all stakeholders, including TJUDA