HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has asked the Junior Doctors to call off their strike keeping in view the overall public health and the existing Corona pandemic situation in the State and advised them to join duties immediately. Keeping their demands in view the Chief Minister has decided to increase the honorarium paid to the Senior Residents by 15 per cent.

The Chief Minister held a review meeting at Pragathi Bhavan here On Wednesday with Medical and Health officials over the Corona situation, vaccination programme and other issues. On this occasion, the officials brought to the notice of the CM on the Junior Doctors’ strike.He also made it clear that the government had never discriminated against the junior doctors and their problems were all solved in the past and was ready to solve their demands now.

Responding to the issues raised by the Junior Doctors, the CM said,” If the junior doctors' demands are justified, the government has no objection to solve them. They can bring those demands to the government and get them solved. But it is not proper to abstain from duties now and then under the pretext of strike without even understanding the time and situation and causing inconvenience to people time and again. Moreover, going on strike under the present emergency situation caused by Corona no one will appreciate not even the people,” KCR made it clear.

The CM enquired about the demands made by the junior doctors. The Medical and Health officials briefed him about their demands and the KCR instructed that they be solved as early as possible. As part of this KCR has decided to increase the honorarium paid to the Senior Residents by 15 percent. The CM also extends the Senior Residents’ honorarium to the medical students who are engaged in the Covid duties after their three years of Medical course.

He instructed that better medical facilities should be provided to Junior Doctors and their family members working at the Nizam Insititute of Medical Sciences premises. The CM instructed officials concerned to take measures so that the ex-gratia amount being extended as per the guidelines should be handed over immediately as per the junior Doctors' demand.

Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, CM Secretary, CMO Special Officer (Covid) Rajasekhar Reddy, Principal Secretary (Medical and Health) S.A.M Rizvi, DME Ramesh Reddy, Director of Health Dr Srinivasa Rao, CM OSD Gangadhar and others attended the meeting.

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