Medical services at government hospitals across the State continued to be affected as junior doctors and house surgeons boycotted elective and emergency medical services for the second day on Friday, opposing the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, which was passed in Parliament earlier this week.
Patients visiting the hospitals for follow-up treatment had to either wait for long hours or were asked to return next week.
The striking doctors said there are over 800 post-graduate students (junior doctors) at Osmania Medical College alone. They along with house surgeons (interns as part of MBBS course) play a crucial role in providing outpatient consultations, follow-up treatment to surgeries, elective and emergency surgeries.
Among the many sections of the bill they are against, doctors have highlighted Section 32 which states that limited licence could be granted to practice medicine at mid-level as Community Health Provider to people connected with modern scientific medical profession. They are also against the National Exit Test (NEXT) that the Bill has proposed for medical graduates to undergo for obtaining licence to practise and as the basis for allocation of PG seats.
“We will continue boycotting emergency and elective services till NMC Bill is withdrawn,” said Mohammad Jahangir, vice-president of Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA)-Osmania Medical College unit.
Director of Medical Education (DME) K. Ramesh Reddy said instructions were issued stating that two assistant or associate professors and senior resident doctors from each department have to be present at hospitals at any given time. Superintendent of Gandhi Hospital P. Shravan Kumar stated that they are constantly tracking the situation.
Health Minister Eatala Rajender reviewed the situation and is expected to hold talks with protesting junior doctors on Saturday.
Patients, who had come to city hospitals from far off places for follow-up treatment, went through a harrowing time. Ram Reddy, who underwent surgery for fracture, visited Gandhi Hospital on Friday for a new cast as advised, but was distraught at the prevailing situation. “I was informed that doctors would not be available and asked to come back on Tuesday,” said Mr Reddy, lying on a stretcher.
His attendants said they spent ₹2,000 for hiring a cab from Shamshabad to Gandhi Hospital in Musheerabad. “Now we have to spend ₹2,000 more again. And not to forget, the inconvenience he has to face travelling all this distance back and forth,” the attendant said.
Another patient, Bilal, who lives by the roadside, was seen sitting outside the Out-Patient block of the hospital, waiting for his foot injury to be dressed. He too was asked to come back on another day.
OP consultations done
Officials, however, said out-patient consultations were offered at hospitals on Friday — 1,975 at Gandhi Hospital; 1,222 at Osmania General Hospital; 383 at Niloufer Hospital; 178 at Chest Hospital; 1,249 at MGM Hospital in Warangal.
