A circular issued by the Telangana government instructing all general and maternity hospitals to start outpatient services (OPS) in the evening triggered a protest by government doctors on Monday. Doctors turned up to work in black badges on Monday to protest against the order as well as non-resolution of their long-pending demands. The Telangana Teaching Government Doctors Association (TTGDA) called for the protest from Monday, July 25 to highlight their demands which they say have been long ignored by the administration.
Doctors protest outside the Government hospital in Mahbubnagar
Dr Jalagam Tirupati Rao, State General Secretary of TTGDA said, “The announcement about evening OPS comes at a time when we have already been planning a protest. TTGDA demands that the order be taken back because our doctors are already attending to patients in the morning hours, be it in the outpatient department or emergency services. In the evening too along with emergency services and inpatient services most times outpatients are attended to. The intention of the new circular is only to add to the existing problems and workload of the doctors. This circular will rob doctors of time to do their research, study etc. Our intention is to highlight our issues and not to lock horns with the government.”
According to Dr Rao, from 2016, dues from pay revision commission recommendations have not been paid for around 56 months now, we haven’t received pay revision commission (PRC) dues. He said, “General transfers have not been granted for around 4 years, general transfers and this is extremely difficult for women doctors who have been requesting for transfers. Doctors are not being given leaves, nor are they being given leave encashment and we are losing out on a lot of money. There are several allowances also that have been pending. We have been working really hard, but our genuine issues and demands have been ignored
Doctors protest at Nizamabad Medical College
As an aftermath of heavy rains in the State, the Director of Medical Education (DME) instructed all general and maternity hospitals to start outpatient services in the evening from 4 pm to 6 pm on all working days. This has not gone down well with the doctors who already say they are overworked. The doctors threatened that they would intensify their protest if their demands are not addressed by the concerned authorities and are also considering boycotting OP duties in the evening as part of the protest.
The normal work timings of doctors are from 9 am to 4 pm. Following the confusion, the administration has conveyed that those doctors who work from the morning will not be asked to work extra hours in the evening outpatient clinic. They were assured that a roster system would be followed wherein doctors allotted work in the evening outpatient clinic would start their shift only at noon.
Doctors protest at RIMS Adilabad
Junior doctors in the state too demanded that the evening OP circular be revoked until the basic requirements put forward are addressed. Putting forward their demands junior doctors have conveyed that they are boycotting evening OP. Their main demands are – to fill the vacancies by direct recruitment and reduce the burden on existing faculty/PGs, to provide hostel facility within the premises of the institution/hospitals for attending full time duties, to enhance stipends on par with central institutions like AIIMS/PGI or state institutions like NIMS and regularisation of stipends.