AYUSH House Surgeons’ strike for stipend hike enters 17th day in Warangal, Govt. fails to respond

The Telangana AYUSH House Surgeons and PG Doctors Joint Action Committee continued its strike in Warangal for the 17th day, demanding stipend parity with Allopathy doctors. The medicos rejected a proposed 15 per cent hike and threatened to intensify protests.

Warangal: The Congress government has remained indifferent to the ongoing strike by AYUSH House Surgeons and PG doctors seeking to increase their stipend on par with Allopathy doctors.

The strike being staged under the aegis of Telangana AYUSH House Surgeons and PG doctors Joint Action Committee at Ananthalakshmi Government Ayurvedic Medical College and Teaching Hospital here reached 17th day on Thursday.

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Similarly their relay-hunger strike, launched on August 17, entered the fourth day. Doctors Padmakshi, Mahathi, Srija, Sucharitha and Rohith took part in the hunger strike on the day.

The JAC joint secretary Dr. Dr. Rohith Basre speaking to Telangana Today said that according to the information they received from officials in the Secretariat, the government which promised to ensure parity in the stipend was now trying to limit the hike to just 15 percent.

Limiting the increase to 15 percent after promising parity was unacceptable. The AYUSH House Surgeons do not want a token hike for an issue that has been pending for ten years and want a stipend equal to that of Allopathy doctors, he asserted.

JAC leaders warned that they had been agitating peacefully so far trusting the assurances given by the officials, but if an attempt was made to resolve the issue with a mere 15 percent hike, the agitation would be intensified. The government must reconsider its decision and ensure justice, they added.

Meanwhile, different organisations and political parties extended their support to the strike by AYUSH House Surgeons and Post Graduate (PG) doctors.

Vishwa Ayurveda Parishad (VAP) national vice president Dr. Premanand Rao, Telangana vice president Dr. Arun Kumar, its former general secretary Dr. Kishan, National Medical Association (NMA) Warangal chapter president Dr. Ravinder and the College Development Committee member Dr. Sambamurthy as well as BJP leader Errabelli Pradeep Rao extended support to the House Surgeons’ strike