The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Agitating junior doctors soften their stand

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 19, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Agitating junior doctors soften their stand

Staff Reporter

Officials threaten to add ‘remarks’ in degree certificates saying they participated in strike

HYDERABAD: The government’s threat to invoke provisions of ESMA against the agitating junior doctors on Tuesday seemed to have a salutary effect, with the latter softening their stand saying that they would resume work if the government came out with a clear cut road map to deploy special protection force in government hospitals.

Realising that the State government is in no mood to meet their demand to arrest MIM MLAs Afsar Khan and Ahmed Pasha Quadri, the junior doctors now are insisting on SPF deployment in all the ‘vulnerable’ government hospitals, especially in the State capital.

In addition to that, the medicos now are insisting for an exact time-frame from the government for SPF deployment. The medicos also added that they had waited for a ‘call’ from the authorities to hold discussion throughout Tuesday. “No one from the government approached us to discuss the issue,” a medico said.

Health officials informed that they were preparing grounds to serve eviction notices to medicos from their hostels. Superintendent of Osmania General Hospital Dr. S. Ashok Kumar, however, maintained that till now the authorities have not asked the PG students to vacate hostel premises. Authorities also informed that ‘remarks’ would be included in degree certificates of PG students saying that they had participated in strike.

“The eviction notices, even if served, won’t make much difference. Already 70 per cent of the hostel rooms have been vacated voluntarily by students after the Nayapul incident,” a junior doctor said.

Meanwhile, medical services at government hospitals were restored on Tuesday with senior doctors reporting to duties while junior doctors stood firm and continued their boycott.

Throughout Tuesday, the medicos maintained a tough posture to the Chief Minister’s threat to invoke Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), by insisting that they won’t come under its ambit.

Over 250 PG students and house surgeons took part and decided to continue the stir.

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