Medicos at Telangana hospital continue strike

Hyderabad, Aug 1 (IANS) Junior doctors at the government-run Osmania General Hospital (OGH) here continued their strike on Tuesday demanding better security.

The indefinite strike began on Sunday night after four attendants of a woman patient, who died during treatment, assaulted two junior doctors.

Nearly 250 junior doctors, including house surgeons, boycotted their duties except emergency services, demanding action against those involved in the attack and measures to beef up their security.

The strike is causing severe inconvenience to patients in one of the oldest hospitals in the country, with services in out patient block remaining paralysed for a second consecutive day.

The junior doctors have lodged a complaint with Afzalgunj police station demanding the arrest of the accused under non-bailable sections.

The strike was called by the Telangana Junior Doctors Association to protest against the rising number of attacks on medicos, saying this was the fourth incident at OGH in one month.

On Monday, OGH Superintendent G.V.S. Moorthy set up a committee to look into their demands and asked for a report within three days.

However, the association refused to call off the strike saying it will decide the next course of action after seeing the report.

Patients belonging to poor families from different parts of the city and other districts of Telangana and neighbouring states come to OGH, the biggest government-run facility in the state.