Senior doctors threaten to halt emergency services
Many of them haven’t received their monthly stipends since they enlisted in the service seven months ago
Hyderabad: Around 698 senior resident doctors working in 28 government hospitals in the state went on strike on Wednesday in protest against unpaid salary and outstanding stipend dues.
The Telangana Senior Resident Doctors Association (TSRDA) decided to hold protests in a phased manner by boycotting elective services, both outpatient and wards, on Wednesday. They sent a strike notice to the Director of Medical Education on Tuesday. They have asked the government to respond positively, failing which they won’t hesitate to boycott emergency services from July 1.
According to the strike notice, senior resident doctors have been tirelessly providing patient care at various hospitals and medical schools even in the absence of appropriate housing, transportation, or even the most basic amenities. They emphasized the fact that many of them are married and have families to care for.
Doctors were assigned to government medical colleges in Mancherial, Nizamabad, Jagtial, Ramagundam, Sangareddy, Siddipet, Warangal Urban, Mahabubabad, Mahabubnagar, Wanaparthy, Nagarkurnool, Nalgonda, Suryapet, Kothagudem, RIMS-Adilabad, and Gandhi Medical College and Hospital as part of their one-year mandatory service beginning November 2021.
Similarly, doctors were posted at 11 hospitals under the Osmania Medical College, including Osmania General Hospital, Niloufer Hospital, MNJ Hospital, Chest Hospital, Institute of Mental Health (IMH), ENT Hospital, Fever Hospital, Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital (SDEH), Modern Government Maternity Hospital, Govt. Maternity Hospital in Nayapul (GMH), and King Koti District Hospital.
Doctors claim that after completion of their post-graduation, they began their one-year mandatory duty in November 2021 in 18 medical colleges, including 11 hospitals under the Osmania Medical College. Many of them haven’t received their monthly stipends since they enlisted in the service seven months ago.
Majority of the doctors haven’t received the stipend for the past three to five months.
On Tuesday, 11 senior residents at Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital staged a protest over the issue. A similar protest was also held outside the Director of Medical Education’s office to press for their demands.