AP govt, docs hold talks, stalemate persists
Hyderabad,
Dec
6:
Even
as
the
Andhra
Pradesh
government
claimed
to
have
accepted
all
the
demands
put
forth
by
the
striking
doctors,
there
was
no
assurance
from
the
medicos
on
calling
off
the
stir
after
the
completion
of
talks
between
the
two
sides
on
Wednesday.
Addressing
the
press
here,
State
Health
Minister
G
Aruna
said
the
government
has
accepted
all
the
demands
of
the
junior
doctors
during
the
talks
in
which
Chief
Minister
Y
S
Rajasekhara
Reddy,
City
Police
Commissioner
Balwinder
Singh
and
representatives
of
Indian
Medical
Association,
AP
Government
Doctors
Association
and
Private
Nursing
Home
Associaton
participated.
She said the Chief Minister had informed the doctors that a six- member committee would be constituted to look into the demand for promulgation of an ordinance to book cases against those who attacked doctors, nurses and destroy property in government hospitals.
The government would take a decision after the committee submitted its report in three months.
Stating the government had also agreed to withdraw cases booked against the doctors in the 2004 Gandhi Hospital attack incident, she said outposts would be established at all government teaching hospitals with six-member police teams as demanded by the doctors.
The Chief Minister gave assurance to the private hospitals that police force would be deployed as required. But the hospitals should bear the expenditure.
Stating that Dr Reddy had called upon the doctors to call off the strike, Ms Aruna said the Police Commissioner assured investigation into the attack on doctors by MLA Afsar Khan, would be speeded up. If necessary, more sections would added in the case against the MLA.
Meanwhile, Junior Doctors Association Representative Raju said the Chief Minister had not accepted their demand for arresting the MLA after booking murder case against him as they had demanded.
Dr Reddy had also not given any assurance to take disciplinary action against the MLA, Dr Raju claimed.
He claimed the government was not ready to bring an ordinance to protect the doctors from the attacks immediately.
Dr Raju said the future course of action would be decided at the meeting to be held tomorrow where a decision on whether to call off the stir would be taken.
AP Doctors Association President Prasad said demonstrations being organised by senior doctors from this morning at all teaching and government hospitals would stop from tomorrow as they were satisfied with the government's response to their demands. Indian Medical Association (IMA) president Appa Rao said the government had accepted the doctors demands and they would not launch any agitation.
Doctors
at
the
Niloufer
Childrens
Hospital
struck
work
to
protest
the
manhandling
of
some
of
their
colleagues
by
local
MLA
Afsar
Khan
of
the
Majlis-e-Itahadul-
Musalmeen
(MIM)
on
Monday
UNI