Is It Right For Doctors To Strike Work Now?

The sudden decision of the junior doctors of Telangana to strike work from May 25, if the state government doesn’t fulfil their demands pending for over a year, has evoked a lot of criticism from various quarters.

At a time when the entire state is reeling under severe crisis due to fast spreading second wave of Coronavirus, the Telangana Junior Doctors’ Association (TJUDA) served a notice on the state government demanding a 15 per cent hike in their salaries, among other things.

The JUDAs gave two weeks’ time to the government to fulfil their demands. If the demands are not met, they would boycott all the services, including emergency medical services, the association said in its notice served on the government.

The association said the salary hike had been due since January 2020. Though the government had agreed to increase the salary and the file got clearance at all levels, it has not come into implementation, as the file has been languishing in the office of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for the last six months.

The TJUDA also demanded immediate payment of 10 per cent incentive promised by the chief minister to all the healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic last year.

Another demand put forth by the TJUDA was to give priority in treatment to the healthcare workers and their family members who were affected by Covid-19, in the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) by increasing the bed strength.

“We want the government to issue a circular for free treatment for healthcare workers and their family members,” the association said.

Though the demands of the doctors are genuine, the timing of their strike has come under criticism from various sections.

“Is it appropriate to go on strike and boycott hospital duties for the sake of money? The hospitals are flooded with patients and there is hardly any infrastructure in the hospitals. The doctors are like gods and they should forget about their interests and focus on the needs of the patients,” an official in the department said.

The association leaders, while admitting that the timing was not right, defended their strike move.

“We have given two weeks’ time to the government. If it is so concerned about the people, it can take a decision during this two-week period,” the association president Naveen Reddy said.