Around 120 post graduate medical students or junior doctors at the Osmania General Hospital (OGH) boycotted elective services from Tuesday demanding that provisions for elective Operation Theatre (OT), Post-Operative ward, and other resources be made. They would be joined by at least 60 more PG students and 20 house surgeons on Wednesday.
OGH is one of the major government tertiary care hospitals in the State. Majority of the patients who opt for treatment come from a poor financial background and cannot afford surgeries or treatment at private hospitals where charges have increased after the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.
It has been more than 20 days that they have taken their demands to the notice of the hospital administration and senior officials in the State Health department. Though the administration made some attempts to meet their demands, the issue is far from resolved.
OGH has three blocks — the in-patient block, out-patient block and Quli Qutb Shah Block. At least four OTs were functioning in the IP block. Elective surgeries under the departments of Orthopaedics, General Surgery and Surgical Gastroenterology were performed in OTs.
However, the problem began after ain water flooded the 102-year-old IP block on July 15. Orders were issued by the State government to vacate the building and it was finally sealed on July 27.
Thereafter, junior doctors said, elective surgeries were kept on hold for more than a month. At a loss were hundreds of patients who needed elective surgeries under the three departments.
When the junior doctors pursued the issue relentlessly, the hospital’s administration resumed the elective surgeries under Surgical Gastroenterology department. Though OGH superintendent B. Nagender issued orders to accommodate General Surgery elective OT in Cardio Thoracic OT, it was met with internal resistance. General Surgery post-graduates said the elective surgeries did not resume. However, Dr Nagender said the OTs are arranged and measures were taken to conduct surgeries in all departments.
Support pours in
President of Telangana Junior Doctors Association-Osmania Medical College unit, P. Rohith said that post-graduates from Orthopaedics department will also join the boycott from Wednesday after serving a ‘strike’ notice to officials concerned.