The junior doctors of the Telangana Government run Gandhi Hospital announced to go on strike from the 20th of June.
On the 21st of May, Dr. Vanam Manikumar, the Chairman of the Junior Doctors Association (JUDA,) said, if the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Government does not fulfil their demands, they would call for an indefinite strike. He also said, the Hospital authority did not allow him to submit the memorandum with demands to the Chief Minister of Telangana, K. Chandrashekar Rao when he visited the Gandhi Hospital.
According to sources, the junior doctors wrote to the State Government demanding a 15 % hike in salaries and 10% incentives immediately. They also requested the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Government to provide treatment for health workers and their family members who are diagnosed with COVID-19 at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) hospital.
The doctors also demanded insurance for medical students in the letter. The letter read, “The ex-gratia of 50 lakh for doctors and 25 lakh for nurses and supporting staff that was announced has not been implemented so far.
Recently, on the 19th of May, KCR visited the State run Gandhi Hospital to inspect the Wuhan virus patients there.
Dr. Vanam Manikumar said the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) confirmed to conduct a meeting and assured to meet demands. He further said, “There was no call from the Chief Minister’s Office even two days after his visit to the Gandhi Hospital. The Government should take a call on their salary hike which has been kept pending for a long time and could no longer be ignored.”
This is not the first time, the junior doctors of the Gandhi Hospital demanded a hike in salaries and other benefits. The junior doctors working for COVID-19 patients were demanding a hike in their salaries. However, their plea went unheard, following which they decided to go on a strike. Earlier this month, the JUDA issued a two week notice to the administration and the State Government regarding the same.
Meanwhile, if the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Government and the State Health Department fails to meet the JUDA’s demand this time, they would boycott services from the 20th of June. Initially, they decided to boycott their services from the 25th of May, which has now been extended to the 20th of June.
The KCR led Telangana Government is yet to respond to the written letter of the Junior Doctors’ Association.
