HYDERABAD: Disgruntled over the recent state cabinet decision to increase the retirement age of medical teaching faculty from 58 years to 65 years, as many as 50 associate professors at Hyderabad's Gandhi hospital went on a three-day mass casual leave starting Wednesday.
Though the medical services at the hospital are being managed by professors, junior doctors and house surgeons, patients and attendants had to face inconvenience and wait for longer hours. Anticipating medical services such as Out Patient services to be affected if junior doctors too join the strike, heads of departments informed junior doctors not to participate in the strike.
The protesting associate professors contended that if professors continue to hold their posts for seven more years, associates would be deprived of promotions and fresh graduates would be denied job opportunities.
For past several months, owing to the debate over retirement age, faculty at Gandhi Hospital had split into two associations. One comprising associate and assistant professors and a few professors are part of Telangana Government Doctors Association (TGDA)-Gandhi Hospital whereas, a set of professors have formed Telangana Government Medical Professors Association (TGMPA)-who favoured hike in retirement age.
On Tuesday evening, tensions flared between members of the two associations and they were close to exchanging blows during a meeting. Police had to be called in bring the situation under control. "There are around 50 professors at Gandhi Hospital who will not participate in the protest. Besides, there are junior doctors, house surgeons who will be tasked to manage patients at Out-Patient section," said a TGMPA member. The hospital's superintendent Dr P Shravan Kumar did not respond to calls.
The state cabinet had approved the change in retirement age, on Sunday, which applies to professors, associate and assistant professors at Government Medical Colleges, autonomous and semi-autonomous medical colleges in Telangana.
While the associate professors who are members of Telangana Government Doctors Association (TGDA) - Gandhi Unit planned to organise a car rally to Raj Bhavan to submit their memorandum on Wednesday, they called it off.
Meanwhile, TGDA units of other government hospitals are going to hold a meeting to decide how to react to the hike in retirement age.