Telangana AYUSH Medicos Protest in Secunderabad as Strike Enters 22nd Day

House surgeons, postgraduate scholars, and students from government AYUSH institutions in Telangana continued their indefinite strike on Wednesday, marking the 22nd day of protests over an unfulfilled stipend hike. Demonstrators gathered outside the AYUSH Commissionerate in Secunderabad to register their protest against the state health department's failure to address their demands.

The ongoing agitation is spearheaded by the Telangana AYUSH Joint Action Committee (JAC) and represents medicos from five state-run AYUSH medical colleges across the state. The protesting doctors have been demanding that the authorities bridge the existing pay gap and implement past assurances regarding stipend revisions.

According to the protesting medicos, their daily workloads in government hospitals are comparable to those of their allopathic counterparts, yet they continue to receive significantly lower monthly stipends. Despite submitting multiple representations to government officials, the medicos stated that earlier commitments made by the authorities to revise their stipends have not been fulfilled.

Dr Anurag Singh, vice-president of the Telangana AYUSH JAC, noted that the state government has yet to extend any concrete assurance regarding their issues, stating that the prolonged inaction indicated a lack of priority for the AYUSH stream of medical care and education.

While authorities have indicated that a Government Order (GO) announcing an increase in stipends will be issued soon, the striking medicos pointed out that there has been an inordinate delay in releasing the promised order. The AYUSH JAC has maintained that the medicos will continue their indefinite strike outside the commissionerate until the formal GO is officially released.