PHC Strike, No NTR Vaidya Seva At Private Hospitals Derails Healthcare In AP
“Our main demand is to clear dues of ₹2,700 crore to hospitals. Or, they must give a schedule of when the entire dues will be cleared. We are all united together. Any move to create differences among us will be futile”: A senior doctor at a private hospital
VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh is facing a peculiar situation with regard to delivery of healthcare service to the people, as private medical and dental hospitals have stopped treatment under NTR Vaidya Seva, while doctors of the government primary health centres are on strike, affecting secondary and tertiary medicare.
Private hospitals associated with Andhra Pradesh Speciality Hospitals Association reveal that on an average, they carry out major procedures on 8,000 to 9,000 patients under the NTR Vaidya Seva scheme per day. They have stopped these services from Friday onwards.
A senior doctor at a private hospital said, “Our main demand is to clear dues of ₹2,700 crore to hospitals. Or, they must give a schedule of when the entire dues will be cleared. We are all united together. Any move to create differences among us will be futile.”
In the interim, Andhra Pradesh Private Medical and Dental Colleges Managements’ Association has expressed support to the ongoing stir of ASHA in clearing dues.
At the same time, the strike by Andhra Pradesh Primary Health Centres Doctors’ Association has entered the seventh day. The main demand of the association is to provide a 20 per cent in-service quota to them in all clinical subjects in post-graduate courses. The state government is yet to take a decision on this matter, even as doctors of the Directorate of Secondary Health have expressed their support to the ongoing PHC doctors’ strike.
All this has led to no healthcare services at the PHCs in villages located in urban, rural and agency areas and also in private hospitals under NTR Vaidya Seva scheme. Majority of the people are thus facing hardships in availing healthcare.
Treatment is available at present only in government hospitals and hospitals associated with medical colleges.
