HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh Government Doctors Association (APGDA) has threatened to go on strike if the Government concedes the demands of the agitating medicos.

At a press conference here on Tuesday, APGDA general secretary M. Chandra Sekhar Reddy and secretary P. Srinivas termed as unwarranted the ongoing strike over an increased quota for in-service doctors in post-graduate courses.

They said the Government was only trying to improve the situation in government hospitals and medical colleges.

With majority of medical graduates staying away from government hospitals, there was a huge shortage of medical teaching staff across the State. The Government, when it advertised for 584 vacant posts of assistant professors in 2004, had received a response from only 270 doctors, out of which just 120 reported for duty.

False statements

``The allegation of the students that the Government is not recruiting doctors is false.

The Government has in fact been recruiting doctors regularly from 1991 onwards.

However, there was a lack of response from fresh post- graduate specialist doctors to join government service, which has in turn led to a huge shortage of hands in the State," Dr. Srinivas said. The accusation that an increase in quota for in-service doctors in PG seats meant injustice to merit was also not true, since even the Supreme Court had stated that there was nothing wrong in special provisions for enhancing abilities of in-service doctors, who would otherwise find it difficult to update themselves with advances in the field, Dr. Srinivas pointed out.

Staff shortage

The existing staff shortage would turn more acute by June 2007 due to retirement of a large number of doctors from 1977-1980 batches.

Updating of in-service doctors into specialists in crucial streams therefore, was necessary, Dr. Reddy said, adding that the Association would resort to agitation if the Government gave in to the demands of the AP Medical Students Association.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail