Government hospitals across the country, including Gandhi Hospital and Osmania General Hospital, experienced minor disruption on Thursday, as more than 850 Aarogya Mitras continued their strike for the second day.
Aarogya Mitras, who support patients under Rajiv Aarogyasri Health Care Trust in government hospitals, started their strike on Wednesday due to unfulfilled demands.
“Hospitals like Gandhi and Osmania handle more than 1,500 2,000 2,000 2,000 patient visits every day, most of whom are low-income patients who rely on the services of Aarogyasri. With no staff available at Aarogyasri counters, hospitals are facing huge challenges,” said Bhupal, president of Telangana United Medical and Health Employees Union.
Mr. Bhupal said that the members of the union will meet with the Minister of Health C. Damodar Rajanarasimha on Friday. “We hope that the Minister will understand the problems we are facing and fix them quickly,” he added.
Meanwhile, the superintendents of Gandhi and Osmania hospitals reported that patient services were not disrupted. “We were expecting a strike and we are making other arrangements to ensure that the Aarogyasri counters are always staffed, there are staff available to handle paperwork and help patients,” said Dr. Rakesh Sahay, Superintendent of Osmania General Hospital.
Published – September 20, 2024 04:03 am IST