Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh Health, Medical & Family Welfare Department has wound up in the midst of a new controversy after releasing GO No. 99. The GO makes it mandatory for PG medical students to complete one year of service — at government institutions for students under the convenor’s quota, and at their parent institutions for students under management quota.
Clear guidelines regarding the issuance of honorariums have also been included in the order. The Andhra Pradesh Junior Doctors Association (APJDA) is in serious opposition to GO No. 99. Members of the Association say that the order favours corporate medical colleges. Dr Raghuram, a representative of APJDA, said that the Health Department was neglecting the welfare of medical students in order to benefit private medical colleges. “Andhra Pradesh is the only state to have implemented compulsory senior residentship, which is unethical. We have started a fight against the order at the High Court,” he said.
PG students under the management quota do not wish to work at their parent institutes; they want to work at government organisation instead. Management quota students from private colleges across the state staged a protest at Siddhartha Medical College on Wednesday and stalled the counselling process for convenor quota seats. During the protest, Dr Sashank, the principal of Siddhartha Medical College, tried to grab the mobile phone of a student who was filming his conversations, and a tense situation prevailed.
Dr K. Swathi said, "Andhra Pradesh is the only state which is ruining the careers of doctors for the sake of private medical colleges. Management, convenor and government category students all are equal, and we will also work for the government. The atrocities of private medical colleges have increased and colleges are now headed towards bonded slavery without paying an honorarium.”
N. Subba Rao, the Director of Medical Education, said that senior residentship was compulsory at every medical college as per the guidelines of the Medical Council of
India (MCI) and GO No. 99. He clarified that students under the management quota would have to work for their parent institutions, for an honorarium of Rs 50,000 per month.
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Students stalled the counselling session for senior residents at Siddhartha Medical College while protesting GO No. 99. They say that the Health Department is favouring corporate colleges
