Trade union AITUC extended its support to the junior doctors whose strike entered 50 day on Monday. It demanded the Government to concede the demands of junior doctors to put an end to the strike and put an end to the misery of poor patients.
Members of city council of the AITUC held a demonstration near the in-gate of King George Hospital on Monday morning and burnt an effigy of the government. State leader of AITUC Ch. Raghavendra Rao criticised the government for planning to invoke ESMA against the junior doctors instead of finding ways to solve their problems. As the government was not responding in the right direction, the strike continued and poor patients in the government hospitals were facing lot of difficulties, he said.
City secretary of CPI M. Pydiraju criticised the government for prolonging the issue and warned of an agitation in future if the junior doctors’ demands were not conceded. AITUC leaders J.D. Naidu, Sivaprasad, Gurumurthy, Prasanth Kumar, Markendyulu, Taviti Raju, Appala Raju, Venkata Rao and others along with AITUC members participated.
Physician extends help
A senior physician and former HoD of Medicine of KGH and AMC N. Srinivasa Rao while appealing both to the Government and the junior doctors to find a solution since the poor patients were suffering, assured to offer his services to the poor and needy if the strike continued. Free treatment would be provided to the poor and those needed emergency care, Dr. Srinivasa Rao said.
He also appealed to the retired doctors and the Indian Medical Association members to work in the place of junior doctors and to the nursing homes to provide free treatment to the poor and needy during the strike period.
Politicians would double their salaries and hike the constituency development fund but such generosity was not shown to the junior doctors who were extending patient care in spite of facing exposure to serious contagious diseases and finding it to manage with an insufficient stipend while the prices were spiralling, Dr. Srinivasa Rao said.
