Telangana doctors join nationwide strike today

Hundreds of doctors across the state will join nationwide strike today called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA). Following the strike, patients may face delay and cancellation of appointments at several hospitals. However, services may be continued at private hospitals but the number of doctors available may be less. Predicting a huge impact of the strike, all the superintendents of the government hospitals have been directed to be alert to handle the crisis.

The entire medical fraternity called on the strike with repeated incidents of doctors being attacked across the country. Medical education director K Ramesh Reddy said that though the healthcare services will get affected, emergency and inpatient services will be running in government hospitals. Senior doctors, assistant professors and head of the departments will be pressed into service, it is learned.

Several hospitals, both private and government, would boycott out-patient (OP) duties for 24 hours from Monday morning. The medical fraternity in Telangana has decided to stop OP



services for 24 hours from 6 am on Monday till 6 am on Tuesday as per the call given by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) national unit to express solidarity with striking doctors in West Bengal.

According to IMA Telangana secretary Dr Sanjeev Singh Yadav, all private hospitals and nursing homes, clinics and doctors from state-run hospitals have decided to participate in the stir. He, however, said that there would be no disruption of in-patient and emergency services, which would function as usual.

Dr Sanjeev Singh stated that all doctors wanted was their own safety and no political interference in functioning while they strive to extend best health services to the public. He said they have been demanding for enacting a legislation to protect the doctors and the hospitals from the attacks of the relatives and family members of the patients. He said doctors need uniform rules in the country to stop attacks on the hospitals and doctors. He strongly condemned the attack on a hospital and two doctors in Kolkata.