Hyderabad: 500 plus government doctors, healthcare staff to stage Dharna on March 13

The members of the Healthcare Reforms Doctors' Association (HRDA), Indian Medical Association (IMA), Junior Doctors' Association (JUDA), Doctors' Forum, Contract Doctors' Association, Nursing Association, and Paramedical Association have joined hands to start an agitation over their long-pending demands. According to HRDA, nearly 1300 Assistant Professors, 600 CAS in PHCs, and many more CAS in TVVP vacancies are there for direct recruitment which is directly linked to quality medical education, patient care, and public health.

The long-sought demands of the doctors include direct recruitment, identification of fake physicians, immediate work of new Osmania General Hospital building, the appointment of the Medical Council members, and security in government hospitals for the safety of doctors. The doctors' associations have already sought police permission to stage the dharna.

President of HRDA, Dr. K Mahesh told Medical Dialogues that there is no direct recruitment of medical staff in medical colleges, pharmacies, laboratories, and public healthcare centers for years now. He further added, " Doctors who are employed on a contractual and outsourcing basis should get a permanent post now. Though many doctors remain unemployed in the state, there is no direct recruitment of medical staff in medical colleges, hospitals, and public healthcare centers. Also, no job notification has been announced yet though doctors have been urging the government for several years."

The doctor stated that no decision has been made regarding the construction of new the building of Osmania General Hospital where about 2,000 out-patients visit every day. The era-old building was built by Nizams and it covers a 3 acres wide area in the middle of the campus. " Its position makes it difficult to build new buildings around it. I am not undermining the historic building's essence but people and healthcare should get priority, even if that means demolishing the building and constructing a new one. Temporary camps and makeshift tents are being used and wards are merged to accommodate patients currently and it is a great inconvenience for the patients as well as the doctors", added Dr. Mahesh.

Moreover, he also pointed out that the government is investing a great fortune in medical colleges but not enough efforts are being made to improve Primary and tertiary healthcare in the state. The members of the association stated that the number of quacks in the state is increasing and the administration should be more careful before granting licenses to open clinics.

The doctors are also requesting that the safety of doctors and health staff should be ensured at government hospitals. As the number of patients grew, so did the frequency of disagreements between patients' families and doctors. Superiors are aware of challenges and problems experienced by physicians and nurses, according to the doctors' unions, but no step has been taken to resolve the issue.