Junior doctors in Telangana to strike work from May 26 for hiked stipend

Hyderabad: Junior doctors from government medical colleges said they have decided to boycott duties and sit on a strike from May 26 due to the government's refusal to meet their demands.

Among the demands of the Telangana Junior Doctors' Association (T-JUDA) are: Clear the stipend with 15 per cent pay hike for junior residents, senior residents and interns due since January 2020; clear the 10 per cent incentives for healthcare workers announced by the government and; provide the promised ex gratia of Rs 50 lakh to the families of doctors and Rs 25 lakh for the relatives of nurses and supporting staff that have lost their lives in the line of Covid-19 duty.

The association said that during the pandemic, infected healthcare workers and their families have not been able to find beds anywhere and therefore the government should increase bed capacity and issue a circular for free treatment for healthcare workers and their families.

However, the government order issued on Tuesday has only released stipend funds for interns or house surgeons, PG and diploma and super-speciality students (both medical and dental) with effect from January 2021.

Dr V. Naveen, T-JUDA president, said, “With the announcement from the government, we are bound to face a loss of arrears of one year. There has been a well-noted mortality among doctors in the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We deserve to be paid fairly. We are putting our lives, along with our families, in serving the nation.”