HYDERABAD : Around 6,000 junior doctors from 26 medical colleges across Telangana will begin an indefinite strike from Monday. They allege the state government has not acted on their long-pending demands such as a green channel for timely disbursement of stipends to junior doctors, house surgeons and others. The junior doctors will be boycotting outpatient (OP) services, elective surgeries and ward duties.
Earlier on June 18, the Telangana Junior Doctors Association (T-JUDA) submitted a letter to the director of medical education, listing their demands and intimating the DME about a strike from Monday in case the authorities failed to take tangible action.
In response to the doctors’ demands, the finance department on Saturday issued orders to the DME to release funds worth Rs 123.32 crore for the year 2024–25.
However, the doctors said that allocating an annual budget was not enough and that the funds should also be released to them on time. They noted that similar amounts had been sanctioned on a quarterly basis earlier as well but there were delays in disbursing the stipends.
Dr CH G Sai Sri Harsha, T-JUDA president, told TNIE, “The finance department should clear all obstacles in releasing stipends to resident doctors by creating a green channel. It should also issue a circular stating stipends will be credited before the 10th of every month to all junior doctors.”
Dr Harsha said that previous representations to the health minister and the deputy chief minister had not yielded results and that the doctors were forced to call a strike.
‘Faculty members to look after OP, ward rooms’
The strike would put pressure on outpatient and other services in government medical colleges. Dr B Nagendar, superintendent, Osmania General Hospital told TNIE that while junior doctors were going on elective work strike, they would still be on emergency duty. “Faculty members will look after operation theatres, ward rooms and OP. We have instructed the HoDs of all departments to arrange for faculty members to ensure health services are not affected,” he said.
Video on state of OGH viral
The Telangana Junior Doctors Association (T-JUDA) also wanted contractual assistant positions with a salary of Rs 1,25,000 for doctors who have completed super-specialty courses. The strike by junior doctors that begins on Monday will go on from 9 am to 4 pm, with sloganeering during OP hours (9 am to 12 pm).
Meanwhile, a video clip of the dilapidated conditions of the Osmania General Hospital (OGH) released by OGH-JUDA went viral on social media.
The video highlighted the poor infrastructure, lack of amenities, overcrowded OPDs and patient wards in the hospital.
The OGH-JUDA demanded the construction of a new building to address the issue of patient care and also ensure the safety of doctors and staff.
