Doctors’ Stir: AP Makes Arrangements To Ensure Healthcare At PHCs
Talks on Thursday to resolve stalemate on in-service quota for PG
VIJAYAWADA: The health department has said the PHC doctors’ strike since September 26 has no major impact on services in the primary health centres as “adequate alternative arrangements are in place.”
“We have arranged MBBS doctors working in other health facilities, like community health centres, and ensured all the 12-member health staff at each PHC remains at work. We also deployed ANMs, ASHA workers and other staff to ensure uninterrupted healthcare services at the PHCs. Ambulance services like 108 and 104 are also put on alert to attend to health emergencies,” a senior official said on Wednesday.
Several patients from agency, rural and urban centres visit nearby PHCs to avail primary health care services like immunisation for children, and for minor ailments like fever, cold, cough etc. “In case the health issues are severe in nature, patients as usual are referred to CHCs, area hospitals, district hospitals, or even to the government medical college hospitals,” he said.
PHC doctors intensified their strike from October 4 by abstaining from work from Oct. 4 onwards by abstaining from work and staged a series of agitations and submitting representations to the higher-ups, and held talks with the government.
Initially, patients suffered a lot. However, the state government stepped in and initiated alternate measures, which reduced the strike’s impact.
Health director Dr K Padmavathi said, “We have arranged MBBS doctors and other health staff at PHCs to ensure patients get healthcare without any disruption.”
PHC doctors are insisting on providing them a 20 per cent in-service quota to pursue PG courses in all clinical subjects from the current academic year and for the next three more academic years. The government is willing to do this for the current academic year and said discussions for further extensions can be considered at a later stage. It also accepted their other demands like time-bound promotion, notional increment and tribal allowance.
PHC doctors have been staging relay hunger strikes for several days here as also elsewhere across the state.
According to sources, health minister Satya Kumar Yadav has invited the doctors’ representatives on Thursday for discussions to end the strike.