VIJAYAWADA: PG doctors and house surgeons under the Andhra Pradesh Junior Doctors’ Association (APJUDA) on Monday served strike notice on the state government for boycotting duties from June 9, if their demands were not met. Their main demands are ex-gratia/health insurance for all frontline workers, Covid incentives for all the junior doctors including postgraduates and interns, increase security measures in hospitals to prevent untoward incidents and resolve TDS issue in stipend pay. APJUDA president Dr Rahul Roy told TNIE that they served the strike notice on the Director of Medical Education by e-mail as he as well as other authorities were not available to serve the strike notice in person.
According to him, they will intensify their agitation in a gradual manner and they will boycott non-Covid electives on the first day of the strike (June 9), Covid electives on the second day (June 10), non-Covid emergencies on the third day (June 11) and Covid emergencies on the fourth day (June 12). APJUDA state executive panel, in the strike notice served on the State government, said they are thankful to the government for the positive response towards some of the requests like stipend to senior residents and considering final year post graduate students as senior residents for equivalent stipend pay. However, they said some of their most important and genuine demands such as ex gratia/insurance and Covid incentives were not yet addressed, which is troubling them at this tough time.
They said prior intimation of strike notice has been informed to higher authorities. “We do not want to cause suffering to the common man as we, as Covid warriors, know the pain of suffering. We want to avoid the boycott of duties, but we are forced to go for strike as our main demands, which are meant for the benefit of ground-level Covid warriors — post graduates and house surgeons — are not yet met,” Rahul said.
Post graduate doctors and house surgeons are rendering services to combat the Covid pandemic since the first wave and extending services during the second wave without any additional benefits at the cost of their lives and precious academic career, which can’t be compensated, he said. Several other states including neighbouring Telangana are taking initiatives to encourage Covid warriors by providing incentives, ex gratia and insurance to boost their morale, he pointed out.
APJUDA requested the Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to consider their issues and resolve them at the earliest, so that they can join their duties. Meanwhile, the Senior Resident Doctors Association (SRDA) of Andhra Pradesh has decided to keep away from the strike for now, while extending moral support to it.