Tirupati: Doctors oppose move to abolish APVVP

Tirupati: The state government's idea of abolishing AP Vaidya Vidhana Parishad (APVVP) by merge it into directorate of medical education has been drawing flak from doctor fraternity. They are arguing that the move will jeopardise the interests of middle class people in medium towns where the area hospitals are located and extend speciality services.

The government has been contemplating the move to abolish the APVVP and shift the existing doctors into the new medical colleges where many vacancies are to be filled and transfer some other staff at lower cadres to primary health centres (PHCs).

The doctors were recalling that former chief ministers N T Rama Rao and YS Rajasekhar Reddy have made several attempts to strengthen the APVVP system which has been in existence for the past 36 years.

The idea behind this establishment was to manage secondary level hospitals acting as a bridge between PHCs and medical colleges. Now, there are 240 hospitals in the state under the control of APVVP.

If the government winds up these hospitals, the people in several medium towns will have no other option but to go for tertiary care at teaching hospitals which are far away from them for getting specialist services.

Speaking to The Hans India, the chairman of the JAC of government doctors Dr Paul Ravi Kumar said that about 6,000 employees have been working at APVVP hospitals for several years by giving option for it. He said that the government should reconsider its decision and strengthen the existing system which nowhere in the country can be seen except in AP and Telangana.

He also demanded the government to immediately regularise all the employees working as contract workers in the department of medical and health. Also, the compensation amount as promised by the government for the medical personnel who died while involved in Covid duties be cleared without further delay.

Meanwhile, AP Government Doctors Association (APGDA) has been demanding the government to sanction arrears of PRC 2016 to the teaching doctors which are due from 2016 to 2021. APGDA chairman Dr B Venkateswarlu said that while their PRC was due from 2016, the government has sanctioned it from March 2021, which comes to a total of 15 years delay.

He recalled that the non-teaching doctors working in rural areas have been drawing much higher pay than teaching doctors who are engaged in teaching undergraduates, PGs and super speciality students.