The problem of food and accommodation remains unresolved for Postgraduate Resident Doctors of Telangana who are undergoing the National Medical Commission's (NMC) District Residency Programme (DRP). Despite assurances of accommodation from the state government, several doctors find themselves travelling more than a hundred kilometres each day.
"It is proving to be a headache for us," says Dr Kaushik Kumar Pinjarala, President of Telangana Junior Doctors' Association (T-JUDA). Frustrated, the doctors have decided that if their problems are not addressed by April 10, they will go on strike.
DRP and the issues it brought with it for Telangana medicos
The DRP programme was supposed to begin in the state on March 20. However, when the students realised that food and accommodation would be an issue for them, the T-JUDA members met with Health Minister T Harish Rao on March 19 for a solution. The minister fixed a meeting of the students with Health Secretary Syed Ali Murtuza Rizvi on March 20 for further discussion on the matter.
Rizvi had assured the students that the government would notify the respective hospital superintendents to accommodate them and provide food. And the DRP was postponed to start from April 1.
Under the DRP programme, resident doctors from all medical colleges, including government, private and deemed universities, would be required to undergo a training programme for three months, during which, they would have to serve at a district hospital. The programme is for all states and union territories, and is mandatory. The guidelines for the programmes, as shared by the students, mention that the state government needs to take care of the doctors' needs.
"The state government shall provide appropriate amenities to the District Residents, including, amongst others, suitable accommodation, transportation to workplace (if living quarters are far away), security, especially for lady residents. Accommodation could be by means of government premises or that rented by concerned State Govt and should conform to prescribed norms," the document reads.
However, when the students finally began the programme, the situation proved to have remained unchanged. "When we asked the hospital superintendents for accommodation, they informed us that they had received no orders from the state government to provide it," Dr Kaushik says. "We are not asking for anything more. We want whatever is mentioned in the guidelines to be given," he adds.
Letter submitted to Director of Medical Education
T-JUDA submitted a letter to the Director of Medical Education Dr K Ramesh Reddy, asking for a resolution, yesterday, April 4. They have also raised the matter of irregularity in the disbursement of their stipends and the necessity of a hike in the stipend in the letter. In a press release, the association states that according to "Government Orders (GOs) No. 287 and No. 101, dated 17-12-2009" stipends should be hiked every two years.
"The last hike was done in 2021, and the next was due on January 1, 2023. But so far no step has been taken in this regard," Dr Kaushik tells, explaining that without a hike, the residents are facing grave difficulties. "Many have families with children. And since no accommodation or food is being provided for the DRP, we are having to manage those costs, along with the travel expense," he says. In the letter, T-JUDA has asked for a hike of 15 per cent in their stipends.
The T-JUDA President also informs that irregularity in the disbursement of the stipends has cropped up since December last year, adding to their worries. The doctors have demanded a written assurance from the government that stipends will be credited to them by the 10th of each month and the pending stipends, for the months of February and March, will be cleared by April 10.
"The director is away on an inspection so we could not submit the letter directly. It was sent to him by the officials of the Department on Whatsapp," said Dr Kaushik. Now the doctors are serving under the DRP, but, "If the government fails to address these immediately, we will boycott our services, excluding emergencies, from 11th April 2023," mentions their letter.
