Residents at Hyderabad’s Osmania General Hospital have warned of a phased strike from October 12 if shortages of medicines, consumables and equipment, along with the non-functioning of key clinical services, are not addressed by October 11. The warning was issued by the Junior Doctors Association (Juda) in a representation to the director of medical education through the principal of Osmania Medical College.
The residents said the shortages were affecting patient care at the tertiary teaching hospital, which receives patients requiring complex and critical treatment. They cited delays in investigations and procedures, interruptions to referrals and difficulties in continuing treatment because essential medicines, treatment materials and equipment were not adequately available.
According to the association, the Cath Lab, the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Department and Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy services were not functional. The disruptions affect access to cardiac, cardiothoracic, vascular and renal support within the hospital, although the representation did not specify when the services stopped functioning or provide details of the number of patients affected.
Juda also listed shortages affecting several specialist departments. These included consumables for Urology, Neurosurgery and Surgical Gastroenterology, orthopaedic implants, scopes required by Medical Gastroenterology, and contrast material used for CT and MRI investigations. The association said operation theatres, including facilities for Urology, needed to be restored to full capacity.
Juda president Dr Narahari Chandrakanth Reddy said the resource constraints were particularly significant at a tertiary care teaching hospital handling patients with complex conditions. He said inadequate resources could delay diagnosis and treatment and place resident doctors in a difficult position while they managed patients.
The dispute also concerns postgraduate medical training. The association said residents require adequate infrastructure, functional equipment, supervised procedures and regular academic activities to receive the clinical and procedural exposure required during their training. It said the shortages were therefore affecting both hospital operations and residency education.
Juda has sought early clearance of pending Aarogyasri funds, an assessment of shortages of medicines, consumables, investigations and equipment, and restoration of basic resources. It has also requested the restoration of the Cath Lab, CTVS and CRRT services and adequate facilities for Urology and other operation theatres. The association said any phased strike would proceed from October 12 in accordance with applicable rules and procedures if the issues were not resolved by October 11.
