TS govt doctors warn of indefinite stir for arrears

Hyderabad: Government doctors from various associations held protests in the city on Wednesday to mount pressure on the state government for an early release of long-pending arrears, general transfers, allowances and other issues.

Members of the Telangana Teaching Government Doctors Association (TTGDA) held a protest at the office of the director of medical education here. Around 200 doctors from 26 districts expressed their solidarity with the protestors and backed their “justified” demands.

Dr Kiran Madhala, vice-president, TTGDA, told Deccan Chronicle, “We want the government to clear PRC arrears that are pending for the last seven years. The file has been in the CMO for more than eight months now. We also want the government to firm up general transfers, which are pending for over five years. Many doctors have been posted in one district for 3-4 years without an opportunity to move to another hospital”.

They also demanded payment of fixation for doctors absorbed from Telangana Vaidya Vidhana Parishad (TVVP) and district hospitals to the DME and career advancement scheme (CAS) for professors, review of GO Ms No. 56 which banned private practices and better infrastructure facilities.

Dr Sambashiva Reddy, professor of ophthalmology, Nalgonda Medical College said, “ Every medical college must ideally have a professor, associate professor and assistant professor for every department.

However, many government colleges in the state are utterly under-staffed in this regard. District and taluk hospitals have been converted into government medical colleges like in Adilabad, Sangareddy and Mancherial despite them having no facilities.

In case the government fails to meet their demands within a week, they would call for an indefinite statewide strike across 26 medical colleges.

Meanwhile, a similar protest was held at Gandhi medical college by the Telangana Government Doctors Association (TGGDA), where around 100 doctors came together pressing for implementation of similar demands.

TGGDA member Dr Lalu Prasad told Deccan Chronicle, “We are demanding release of arrears which are pending since 2016; special allowances to female doctors, time-bound promotions, encashment of ELs and promotions based on seniority”.