T’PURAM: Even as the government ruled out further talks with the striking PG medical students who are on an indefinite boycott of all emergency services in government medical colleges, the medicos said the government’s latest move to appoint junior residents would not reduce their workload.
The 373 non-academic junior resident doctors would comprise only one-fifth of the required strength, said representatives of Kerala Medical Post Graduate Association (KMPGA).
This comes after health minister Veena George ruled out any talks, saying the government has done everything possible to address the demands made by the PG medicos. They wanted non-resident junior doctors to be appointed to lessen their workload. The government appointed 373 such junior doctors, whose placement will begin from Monday. Regarding the increase in stipend, the health department has taken it up with the finance department, she added.
Veena made it clear that there is no scope for any more talks when PG students are continuing with the strike. The strike is affecting the functioning of the hospitals, and hence they should immediately withdraw from it. “The representatives of PG doctors who held talks with the government twice earlier, expressed satisfaction over the outcome and were willing to withdraw the strike. They are not part of the ongoing strike,” she said.
Government has heeded their demands of appointing all those who had passed as senior residents and withdrawal of PG students deployed to family health centres and first-line treatment centres (FLTCs). House surgeons were appointed after expediting the announcement of exam results of the Health University, she said.
However, KMPGA is adamant that they will not withdraw the strike until the government agrees to 4% increase in stipend and also place a demand before the Supreme Court to advance the first-year PG admissions. They also want the government to announce a deadline for the appointment of junior residents. The PG medicos have also alleged that the health department has threatened not to allow the striking students to appear for the exam.
