The Hindu : Probe affairs of 15 private colleges, say medicos

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 31, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Probe affairs of 15 private colleges, say medicos

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD Dec.30. The indefinite strike by junior doctors and medical students entered the 19th day on Tuesday and medicos demanded that the Government order a CBI probe into the functioning of 15 private medical colleges and nationalise two other colleges in order to maintain high standards in medical education in the State.

Addressing a press conference, Srinivas and other members of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Andhra Pradesh Junior Doctors Association (APJUDA), which is spearheading the agitation, alleged that the existing 17 colleges in the private sector did not have adequate faculty and demanded that the Government release the list of professors and assistant professors working in those colleges.

In some cases, professors from Government colleges were working in private colleges in violation of rules.

They demanded that the Government nationalise two private colleges located in Karimnagar district immediately on an "emergency basis" as TV channels had recently telecast how the two colleges did not have beds or faculty. They also urged the Government to withdraw the essentiality certificate given to 11 other private colleges and in the meanwhile set right the standards in the existing colleges by nationalising them.

They said that the Government should resign if it was not able to maintain high standards in medical education. Criticising the levying of user charges in the hospitals, they said that its implementation was a World Bank policy and had proven "very hazardous with damaging results when introduced in African countries 15 years ago."

Meanwhile, the agitating medicos continued relay hunger strikes and organised picketing, awareness campaigns, parallel OPs, rallies and rasta roko in different parts of the State.

In the State capital, several trade unions, including AITUC, CITU and others organised a dharna near Indira Park to express their solidarity with the striking junior doctors. The trade unions leaders while criticising the Government's attitude gave a call for a united struggle if the demands of the junior doctors were not settled.

Addressing the striking medicos at the Osmania Hospital, the APCC general secretary, P. Sudhakar Reddy, condemned the attitude of the Chief Minister and the Health Minister in resolving the strike and declared that the Congress would support the genuine demands of the junior doctors and fight for protecting the common man's interests.

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