Doctors threaten to launch massive agitation

Vijayawada: The members of the State branch of Indian Medical Association and the Government Doctors Association (GDA) warned the State government that they would launch a massive agitation if their long-pending demands were not solved immediately.

Addressing the media conference organised by IMA State branch, Government Doctors Association, Andhra Pradesh Specialty Hospitals Association, Andhra Pradesh Private Nursing Homes Association and Junior Doctors Association here on Sunday, the IMA AP president Dr M Jayachandra Naidu said that the Andhra Pradesh Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2008 introduced by the State government headed by the then Chief Minister Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy should be suitably amended to increase the jail term to seven years from the existing three years in order to give sufficient protection to the medical professionals to discharge their duties without fear.

In case of death of patients while undergoing treatment, the relatives of the deceased are lodging complaints with the police. However, there should be some standard operating procedure (SoP) to file cases against the medical professionals and hospitals as per the judgements of the Supreme Court and the rules stipulated by the National Medical Commission and the SoP should be circulated to all the police stations.

The doctors demanded a single window procedure for the registration of hospitals.

The State Pollution Control Board should formulate a procedure to levy charges for the collection of medical waste from hospitals as per the rules of the National Pollution Control Board. The present system should be stopped immediately.

The doctors took strong exception to the reduction of the term to apply for no objection certificate from the Fire Services department from the present five years to two years. As per the National Building Code, the hospitals less than 15 metres height should be exempted from obtaining no objection certificate.

The pay revision commission recommendations for the government doctors should be implemented immediately. Time-scale promotion to the government doctors should be implemented.

The bills to the network hospitals under Aarogyasri scheme should be cleared in a time-bound manner.

Dr Jayachandra Naidu appealed to the State government to respond favourably to their demands and solve them immediately. He recalled that they have been appealing to the government for quite some time.

State Government Doctors Association president Dr Jayadheer regretted that the government has been dilly-dallying with their demands. The doctors of medical colleges have been still waiting for the arrears of PRC 2016.

IMA State general secretary Dr P Phanidhar, past president Dr Ravi Krishna, State president-elect Dr G Nandakishore, AP Private Nursing Home Association president Dr Srinivas, Specialty Hospitals Association vice-president Dr Ramesh, Junior Doctors Association secretary Dr Chaitanya, Dr Banala Ramesh, Dr Pramod and Dr Sivaram also spoke.