Tirupati: Medicos in Ruia Hospital intensify protest

TIRUPATI: Medicos who struck work on Saturday in Ruia Hospital in Tirupati took the protest to the next level by blocking vehicles entering the hospital on Wednesday.

The students blocking all vehicles except those carrying emergency cases at the gate. They were protesting at not being paid their stipends for the past six months.

Speaking to mediapersons, Dr K. Bhanu Prakash said, “The administration is not taking up the issue seriously. We are protesting from Saturday with prior notice.

They have not even called us for the discussion yet. So we have taken the protest to next level.”

Later, on request from superintendent Dr Sidda Nayak, the students allowed the vehicles to enter the hospital. They did not join duty and said the strike would continue till the stipend was paid.

It may be recalled that 137 junior doctors stopped their services on Saturday. They had started working from April 1 this year. Only 50 members have received stipend, that too, only for two months and the remaining got nothing.

Junior doctors should be paid Rs 10,500 per month. Demanding all pending payments to be cleared, junior doctors had given notice to the superintendent earlier.