VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh Government Doctors Association (APGDA) has served an ultimatum to the State government demanding to resolve their long-pending problems like common retirement age and time-bound promotion.
The association office-bearers convened an emergency meeting at PB Siddhartha Medical College here on Thursday to decide their future course of action to put pressure on the government. They set a deadline of 15 days for the government to address their demands or else the members of the association will take to the streets and intensify their agitation.
Addressing a press conference here, APGDA State secretary-general P Shyam Sundar said the Union government, considering the shortage of doctors, had increased the retirement age of specialists and MBBS doctors to 65 years. However, the Andhra Pradesh government, which has increased the retirement age of specialist doctors working in urban areas to 63 years, ignored to do the same in the case of MBBS doctors working in rural areas, he said. With the variation in retirement age, several specialist and MBBS doctors are not getting promotion on time, he added.
Over the years, with the increase in population, responsibilities and duties of government doctors are doubled and they are unable to bear the burden. Moreover, the District Collectors and other higher officials are bringing pressure on doctors who are taking care of at least five Primary Health Centres (PHCs), he said.
“In the last four years, several representations were made to the Andhra Pradesh Vaidya Vidhana Parishad (APVVP) and the State Health Directorate raising the demands. However, no action has been taken so far,” he alleged. APGDA State president N Bharath Rao, treasurer B Durga Prasad and others were also present.
APGDA stir plan
March 5: Special prayers in all religious centres across
the State
March 7: Effigies of government doctors will be hanged at government hospitals
March 9 to 11: APGDA to meet political
parties requesting
their support
March 14 and 15: Representations to High Court Chief
Justice and Human
Rights Commission
March 16: Postmortem will be stalled at GGHs
March 18: Chalo Assembly, strike
notice will be given