Suspend rural service rule, demand junior docs

Hyderabad: The standoff between Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA) and State government on the issue of mandatory rural service continued on Monday.

As the government had refused to accept their demand, the TJUDA representatives have now come up with a new proposal. They want the government to put the one-year mandatory rural service norm in abeyance and have communicated the same to the government through the Director of Medical Education, Dr Putta Srinivas, on Monday.

Though Deputy CM Rajaiah had invited them for talks on Monday evening, the junior doctors, who held a meeting at the Osmania General Hospital in the evening, resolved to continue their strike. Sources close to the Minister told The Hans India that during the talks on Saturday, the Minister was quite accommodative and conceded to all other demands of theirs, except the one related to rural service.

According to sources, the junior doctors feel that since the government was only three-months-old, it should be given more time to scrap the provision of rural service. Pending a final decision, the government should keep it in abeyance, said G Srinivas, president, TJUDA.

He demanded the government to abandon its “stubborn stance” in favour of one-year mandatory rural service and agree to their demand of making it a permanent service.

The JUDA representatives also warned of boycotting emergency services at the Gandhi Hospital if the government does not responds to their new demand in next 48 hours.

As of now, emergency services have been boycotted by Osmania junior doctors only.