Doctors raise united voice against NMC Bill, hold protests across TS

Hyderabad: In response to the All India medical services bandh call given by Indian Medical Association (IMA) protesting against the NMC bill of the Centre, the medical fraternity from Telangana including government doctors, junior doctors, private doctors staged protests in various hospitals in Hyderabad and across the State.

However, unlike the medical bandh on June 17 condemning attack of doctors in West Bengal that affected health services to a major extent, Wednesday's bandh call had only a small impact that too only in state-run hospitals and negligible impact on the leading super-speciality and corporate hospitals in twin-cities.

Government doctors and junior doctors staged protests in the morning from 8 am to 10 am after which services resumed as usual. With junior doctors staying away from elective duties, teaching hospitals superintendents assigned OP duty jobs to senior doctors for one-day so that the public are not put to inconvenience.

Following instructions from higher-ups, superintendents stayed put in the respective hospitals to monitor the situation and take alternative measures if needed. Health Minister Eatala Rajender reviewed the situation with some superintendents on Wednesday afternoon and gave directions to them to ensure common man does not get affected due to the bandh.

Protests were in held in Osmania Medical College and Osmani General Hospital, Gandhi Hospital, Niloufer Hospital, Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital, ESI hospital-Nacharam, medical colleges and teaching hospitals in Warangal (KMC), Nizamabad, Adilabad (RIMS), Siddipet etc. Doctors and junior doctors from all specialities assembled at one place on the hospital premises.

Holding placards, doctors raised slogans demanding the Centre to drop objectionable clauses in the bill that are going to affect the medical fraternity. Doctors from District and Area hospitals, Government Civil Hospitals, Community Health Centres and PHCs in different parts of the state including Kondapur, Malakpet, Malkajgiri, King Koti, Karimnagar, Gadwal, Nalgonda, Metpally, Mahabubnagar, Peddapalli, Jadcharla, Wardhannapet were not behind as they too also staged protest for some time in the respective premises. They demanded NDA government make necessary amendments before passing the bill in Rajya Sabha.

Junior doctors from Osmania Medical College, Koti staged a sit-in dharna in front of college main gate opposing the NMC Bill. They raised slogans against the Centre for bringing NMC unilaterally ignoring views and concerns of the doctors in all states. Meanwhile, police arrived at the dharna site and appealed to protesting doctors to call off their stir.

Government doctors part of Telangana Government Doctors Association held a protest at Niloufer Hospital in the city to express support to the bandh call given by IMA. Teaching faculty belonging to different cadre assembled in front of the new block and expressed their views on the NMC Bill.

As part of the Indian Medical Association's 24-hour bandh call to protest against NMC Bill, resident doctors from NIMS, Panjagutta staged a dharna on hospital premises on Wednesday while senior doctors also joined them.

They raised slogans against the Centre demanding it to drop few clauses that are set to affect interests of doctors and medical aspirants. Later they burnt copies of the bill.

Telangana Government Doctors Association (TGGDA) thanked all doctors for attending the protests on short notice.