Junior government doctors boycott duties, hunger strike today

HYDERABAD: Out patient services at Osmania General Hospital (OGH) and Gandhi Hospital were severely hit on Thursday as junior doctors boycotted elective services to protest the government’s decision to increase retirement age of teaching doctors from 58 to 65 years.
Days after a nationwide strike over assault of a doctor in Kolkata crippled healthcare services in Hyderabad, doctors again stayed away from work forcing patients and their attendants to stand in queues at the emergency ward for up to four hours.In-patient services were also affected at state-run hospitals due to staff crunch.

Apart from boycotting elective duties, junior doctors at teaching hospitals, including Niloufer Hospital, Government Maternity Hospital in Petlaburj, Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital, MNJ Cancer Hospital and Chest Hospital, also joined the protest. Only two doctors were available at Government Maternity Hospital in Petlaburj.
The doors for emergency wards at OGH and Gandhi were frequently being shut to prevent the entry of large number of patients. Many patients were also seen arguing with security guards. “We came all the way from Warangal but were not allowed to enter the casualty ward for almost four hours,” said Razia Begum, who came with her husband.
In fact, many families were putting up at hospitals for the last three days or more. Around 10 attendants, who came with a patient from Harshaguda, were putting up at OGH for the last three days. “We brought our niece here after she developed fits. She is being treated at the hospital but there are very few doctors available,” said Lashamma, one of the relatives.
Members of Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA) said they will go on a hunger strike on Friday, while continuing to boycott elective duties.
TJUDA also wrote a letter to Governor ESL Narasimhan, demanding immediate recruitment of assistant professors, abolition of contract recruitment of doctors and setting up a committee on age hike. “The government of Telangana took a unilateral and hasty decision for increasing retirement age of teaching faculty in government teaching hospitals from 58 to 65 years and is preparing for issuance of ordinance,” the letter read. Listing various reasons for not increasing the retirement age, the letter asked for a committee to be formed to decide on the matter as “the proposed age hike will be a huge loss to young doctors”.