Junior doctors ready to sacrifice academic year

Hyderabad: Junior doctors say they are even ready to sacrifice their current academic year in pushing the government to concede to their demands even as the latter remains adamant.

Meanwhile, students of some medical colleges in Andhra Pradesh also started protesting against temporary government service. Police on Friday warned junior doctors against holding gatherings on the Osmania Medical College campus.

It has been nearly a month since the medicos began protesting against temporary government service. The impact of the str-ike has already been subst-antial since the PG medic-os are not attending to em-ergency duties in the three teaching hospitals of the state. Senior residents and assistant professors have to attend to emergency duties.

Resentment among them too is building up in the wake of the stalemate continuing for long.

“We are ready to risk our academic year for our struggle. We want to achieve what we have set out for,” Dr Bhanu Pratap Chander, a key member of the Junior Doctors’ Association said.

The government also cannot afford to have the medicos lose an academic year altogether since it would create a huge void in the public health system. The government has taken some steps to warn them, like barring their dissertations and asking them to serve an extra period of government service. However, medicos say that will not affect the strike.

In a development that will encourage the medicos further, some post grad students from Rayalaseema too began protests. Medicos at the Kurnool Medical College began protesting against temporary government service and demand that postings be regularised.