Hyderabad: Thousands of patients waited in vain in the 10 major hospitals in the state as senior professors, assistant doctors, junior doctors, nurses and also paramedical staff resorted to flash strike to protest against the AP Re-organisation list.
The doctors signed on the register, but refused to work, “angry and hurt” that the list had retained heads of the department and senior assistant professors from Andhra Pradesh in the teaching hospitals in Telangana.
Nurses, junior doctors and paramedical staff were missing from wards. Soiled linen was lying in the corridors of the hospitals. Pregnant women at Koti maternity hospital were told that there would be no check-ups.
No surgeries were performed in hospitals and the listed patients were notified that they must come later for the surgeries due to the flash strike.
Dr M. Viresham of Telangana Government Doctors Association said, “All doctors have willingly struck work as they are very angry with the list. With the Andhra Pradesh doctors continuing to work in the state of Telangana how will the doctors from Telangana get justice?”
Over 500 doctors gathered at Koti office demanding cancellation of the list. A senior doctor from Gandhi Hospital said, “They have been saying that the distribution is in the 58:42 ratio, but that is not correct. We have lost 350 posts which brings our percentage down to 38. To add to this, widows, spouse factor and those who are serving, but suffering from ill-health have to be retained in Telangana. With this our actual percentage available for bifurcation is only 35 per cent.”
12 doctors shifted to Andhra Pradesh, angering them again
After scrutiny of the list it was found that 12 doctors from Telangana have been transferred to Andhra Pradesh angering doctors who said that they are from Telangana region. Senior government doctors said that they are upset because proper verification has not been carried out.
Dr B. Ramesh said, “How can the list be forwarded to the Kamalnathan committee without verifying? It is the duty of the director of health and medical education to verify it. A committee of senior doctors could have been formed and it would have been checked to ascertain who is from which region. Why is such injustice being done to Telangana doctors?”
