Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is learnt to have directed health officials to take strict action against junior doctors who have been boycotting medical duties in all the teaching hospitals of Telangana for over a month. Sources said that Chief Minister was in favour of debarring striking medicos for at least six months and invoking Essential Services Medical Act (ESMA) if they continue to boycott duties. Government is also said to be seriously considering increasing the one-year compulsory rural service to two years from the next academic year.
In a review meeting on the ongoing medical strike and its impact on medical services on Thursday, the Chief Minister asked officials to take a firm stand as frequent strikes were crippling medical services. A decision on debarring medicos and invoking ESMA is likely to be taken on Friday after the scheduled High Court hearing, a statement from CM’s office said.
The government has claimed that following its direction to medicos to call off strike, close to 100 junior doctors joined duties at Gandhi and Osmania General hospitals on Thursday. The medicos, however, disputed the government’s claim and maintained that none had joined duty.
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According to officials, the State government is in no mood to consider the strike period as leave even if medicos agreed to call off strike. “Strikes are happening every year and after crippling medical services for 30 to 40 days, they call off the strike on the pre-condition that the strike period be considered as leave. This time around, such pardon will not be considered. Medicos will lose their stipends for the strike period and no leaves will be given,” officials said.
Authorities have also written letters on the impending action under G.O. 1022 on junior doctors to their parents. Apart from debarring medicos for 6 months, internees participating in strike will be sent back to their original institutions for internship and they would not be allowed to take PG entrance exam.