AYUSH house surgeons begin indefinite strike in Warangal

AYUSH house surgeons at Ananthalakshmi Government Ayurvedic Medical College in Warangal began an indefinite strike demanding a stipend on par with Allopathy house surgeons and immediate implementation of GO Ms No. 77, warning of intensified protests if their demands remain unmet.

Warangal: House surgeons of Ananthalakshmi Government Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital in Warangal launched an indefinite strike on Tuesday, demanding an increase in their stipend.

The protest, launched under the aegis of the Telangana AYUSH Joint Action Committee (JAC), will continue until AYUSH house surgeons are granted a stipend on par with that of Allopathy house surgeons and the pending stipend revision is implemented immediately, JAC joint secretary Dr Rohit Basare said.

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The house surgeons complained of severe discrimination in the payment of stipends despite performing duties such as Outpatient (OP) and Inpatient (IP) services, emergency medical care, patient monitoring, clinical tasks and night duties on par with Allopathy house surgeons.

Currently, AYUSH house surgeons in Telangana receive a monthly stipend of only Rs 13,754, whereas Allopathy house surgeons are paid Rs 29,972. Such a huge disparity among medical students providing similar services within the same State and under the same government violates the constitutional right to equality, they noted.

In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, both Allopathy and AYUSH house surgeons receive an equal monthly stipend of Rs 26,000. While equality was upheld in Andhra Pradesh without discrimination, it was unfortunate that discrimination against AYUSH house surgeons continued in Telangana, the house surgeons lamented.

The committee leaders demanded the implementation of GO Ms No. 77 by granting AYUSH house surgeons stipends on par with their Allopathy counterparts. They warned that if the government failed to address the issue immediately, the agitation would be intensified across the State.

The JAC leaders Sangameswar Reddy, Seshu Kumar, Vamsi, Yagnik, Harshitha, Keerthana, Madhuri and others were present.