Today, May 20, the Telangana Junior Doctors Association (T-JUDA) wrote a letter to the Director of Medical Education (DME), Government of Telangana, highlighting a series of pressing concerns affecting junior doctors statewide. The letter, signed by T-JUDA, issued a stern warning of an indefinite strike slated to commence on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, should their demands remain unaddressed.

The letter listed eight specific demands of the association. Among the primary grievances were issues related to the timely disbursement of stipends, pending stipends for March and April 2024, and the necessity of honouring agreed-upon honorariums for Super Specialty Senior Residents. “Junior Doctors endure consistent delays of approximately 20-30 days in stipend disbursements by the Finance Department,” states the letter.

Furthermore, the association also raised concerns regarding fair admission practices, security issues within government hospitals, inadequate hostel facilities for postgraduates, delays in constructing essential medical infrastructure, and the lack of basic facilities in several government medical colleges across the state.

"Should our demands not be met by May 22, 2024, we will be compelled to initiate a strike," the T-JUDA stressed in the letter unequivocally.

The association urged for swift and favourable resolutions to these issues.”We met the DME, Dr Vani ma’am today. We discussed major issues like the green channel for the stipends and also the pending stipends for the last two months. We are actually planning for a strike from Wednesday, May 22 and further decision of the strike will be discussed tomorrow,” said Dr G Sri Sai Harsha, T-JUDA President.