7 children die, indefinite strike in all teaching hospitals in AP

Hyderabad, Dec 4 (UNI) The Andhra Pradesh Junior Doctors Association (APJDA) today began an indefinite hunger strike in all the teaching hospitals demanding suspension of Afsar Khan, an MLA, for manhandling doctors at Niloufer hostpial on November 2, even as seven chidlren died due to non-availability of medical services in the last two days.

Speaking to newspersons here after reviewing the situation with the officials and doctors of the Niloufer hosptial, Hyderabad District Collector Chandravadan said ''seven children have died soon after admission in the hospital in the last two days. Most of them were suffering from malnutrition and anemia.'' Stating that the government was taking all steps to provide treatment to the children at the outpatient and inpatients wards by deploying additional doctors and para-medical staff, he said 22 doctors from various hosptials were manning the non-clinical and general departments. All emergency doctors were also attending to services.

Mr Chandravadan said eight doctors in paediatrics ward, two in paediatric outpatient ward and seven doctors in Intensive Care Units (ICU) were attending duties. As many as 165 nurses were working in shifts in the Niloufer hospital.

The junior doctors were also demanding that an attempt to murder case be registered against the Asif Nagar MLA, to provide round-the-clock security at all teaching hosptials and stringent punishment for attack on doctors.

The senior doctors had already expressed solidarity to the striking junior doctors and served strike notices that they would boycott services, if the demands were not met by the government.

UNI