Patients Bear Brunt Of AP Junior Doctors’ Strike As Talks Remain Stalled
Patients across Andhra Pradesh are facing long waits and disrupted services as junior doctors continue their strike and boycott emergency duties, with talks yet to resume.
Patients at major government hospitals across Andhra Pradesh are bearing the brunt of the junior doctors’ strike, particularly after they started boycotting emergency services from Tuesday, August 18.
While the junior doctors suspended regular services nearly 10 days ago, it is the decision to boycott emergency services that has aggravated the situation. The state government has not invited the striking doctors for talks so far. Thus, there appears little progress in resolving the standoff.
In Kurnool district, hundreds of junior doctors took out a massive bike rally on Wednesday, passing through major roads and causing traffic disruptions. Junior doctors in Kadapa also staged rallies and protests in different forms. Their agitation has intensified in Tirupati, Visakhapatnam, and Nellore as well.
Patients of the General Surgery and Orthopaedics departments, where postgraduate doctors form a major part of the workforce, are major sufferers. Long queues have been seen at the government hospitals since early morning. Patients are forced to wait for four to five hours for outpatient consultations due to the absence of PG doctors.
L. Narasimulu, who travelled from Yemmiganur to Kurnool Government General Hospital on Wednesday for treatment of a neurological problem, said he has been waiting since morning. “I came to the hospital in the morning. There is no Neurology doctor to examine me even at 1 p.m.,” he said.
Casualty wards in hospitals in Tirupati, Nellore, and Kadapa are witnessing a rise in patients with injuries. In several cases, nurses are administering medicines and dressing wounds. Patients are being told that it would take time for senior doctors to attend to them.
Director of Medical Education Dr. A. Vishnuvardhan said state government is making alternative arrangements to minimise the impact of the strike. “The strike is continuing. We are making alternative arrangements to ensure that patients do not face difficulties. We will decide when to invite the junior doctors for talks based on the directions of the government,” he said.
Junior doctors assert that they would continue their agitation until their key demand for an increase in stipend is addressed. Dr. P. Sai Bhargav, a junior doctor from Kurnool, said, “Our main demand is an increase in the stipend. We will continue the strike until the government takes a positive decision on this issue.”
