No relief for patients of Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada hospital as doctors continue protest

KAKINADA: Hundreds of patients visiting Kakinada Government General Hospital (GGH) may have to suffer the ordeal for another day as junior doctors have decided to continue their strike on Monday.
On an average 2,500 to 3,000 outpatients visit the hospital every day during three days of the week (Monday to Wednesday). The number is particularly high on Monday.

Kakinada GGH gets crowded with the patients. This apart, there are 1,700 inpatients that get treated in the hospital on an average.In all, there are 500 doctors, 700 junior doctors, 150 senior residents, 170 PG students, who take care of the medical services in the hospital with help of the paramedical staff.
Now, with junior doctors, SRs and PGs staying off the duties except for emergency cases, the medical services would get affected.

Though the hospital management has made some alternative arrangements, they may not be enough to address the situation.“We have made alternate arrangements for the outpatient (OP) and inpatient (IP) services. We are trying to reduce the effect of APJUDA strike and even making efforts to deal with emergency services if they decide to intensify and boycott those services,” M Raghavendra Rao, superintendent of Kakinada GGH said.

According to sources in the hospital, the alternate arrangements are nothing but to deploy some senior doctors to outpatient services.The senior doctors, CMOs and RMOs normally keep away from the OPs, which are generally dealt by the junior doctors under their supervision.On the other hand, junior doctors, who are on strike have approached the government to sort out the issue. They have several issues including compulsory government service, pending dues, demand for pay hike among others.

“We have an appointment with Principal Secretary (Health) on Monday in the AP Secretariat. We hope for a positive result,” APJUDA member Md Nooruddin said.Emergency services are being attended and they will only take the decision after the meeting with government higher-ups on Monday, he added.