Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], August 17 (ANI): Andhra Medical College Principal and Additional Director of Medical Education Dr Sandhya Devi said on Monday that adequate arrangements had been made to ensure uninterrupted patient care after postgraduate doctors intensified their ongoing strike by withdrawing from emergency services.
"The postgraduates are going on strike. Till now, they had provided services for the emergencies, and from today, they called off from the emergencies also. So, we made adequate arrangements, especially in the outpatient wards. All the faculty members are adjusted to attend to the outpatients and also the emergencies," Dr Sandhya Devi told ANI.
She added that arrangements had also been made to manage critical services, including emergency care.
The junior doctors' strike across government medical colleges and hospitals in Andhra Pradesh entered its eighth day on Monday. The doctors have now boycotted emergency services, intensive care units and operation theatres in addition to non-emergency duties.
The protesting doctors have raised three major demands, including a 30 per cent increase in stipends, recruitment of MSc and PhD graduates as assistant professors strictly according to National Medical Commission norms, and withdrawal of the proposal to increase the retirement age of senior doctors from 62 to 65 years.
Anaesthesia second-year postgraduate Dr Kasturi said, "There are three basic demands of our strike. First, to increase the stipend hike to 30 per cent. Second, to recruit MSc and PhD graduates as per NMC norms only. Third, as proposed, the retirement age has been increased from 62 to 65; we want it to revert to normal."
She said the doctors had been sending official letters to the authorities since January and had now decided to withdraw from both non-emergency and emergency duties.
Second-year postgraduate Dr Akash said the doctors had been on strike for eight days and alleged that repeated communications regarding the stipend hike had not received a response.
"According to the G.O., every two years, our stipend has to increase by a certain percentage. In January 2024, we were sending all the mails and letters officially to the government," he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Superintendent of King George Hospital Dr Chandrasekhar Naidu said services were continuing without interruption.
"We made rounds in the morning. All deployed employees have come and are attending. Uninterrupted services are going on," he said.
The hospital administration has deployed faculty members and additional personnel to maintain services amid the protest.
The junior doctors have said they are ready for negotiations and will continue their agitation until their demands are addressed. (ANI)
"Adequate arrangements made as PG doctors withdraw from emergencies": Andhra Medical College Principal amid protest
