Health Minister Attacks Jagan Over Support for Junior Doctors’ Stipend Stir
He said the memo had stated that the Central government’s annual DA should form the basis for the yearly increase in stipend for junior doctors.
VIJAYAWADA: Health minister Satya Kumar Yadav has criticised former chief minister and YSRC president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for supporting junior doctors staging a stir demanding a hike in their stipend.
In a statement here on Tuesday, Satya Kumar said the previous YSRC government had issued a memo on November 28, 2022, stating that a 15 per cent hike in stipend for junior doctors should be dispensed with and recommending an annual increase of 3 to 4 per cent, similar to Tamil Nadu and Kerala, which had the best healthcare systems.
He said the memo had stated that the Central government’s annual DA should form the basis for the yearly increase in stipend for junior doctors.
Satya Kumar challenged Jagan Mohan Reddy to deny that the memo had been issued during his regime and accused him of trying to mislead the people on the issue.
The minister, however, said the government was sympathetic to the junior doctors’ demand for a stipend hike as they played a key role in providing healthcare services to patients. He said the government had agreed to increase the stipend by 10 per cent for interns and by 3 per cent annually for others.
He said Dr NTR Vaidya Seva was receiving greater patronage, with the annual expenditure rising to Rs 3,804 crore and benefits being extended to 14.27 lakh patients. He said the expenditure had increased by 64 per cent compared with the previous YSRC regime.
