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Medical students and junior doctors staged a beach rally in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday as part of their ongoing protest, alleging that the Andhra Pradesh government has failed to respond to their demands.
The protest comes on the 10th day of their strike and the third day of suspension of emergency services across government medical colleges in the state. Speaking about the protest, second-year anaesthesia PG student at Andhra Medical College, Aakash Divakaran, said the rally was organised to convey their concerns to the government and seek a response. "Today, we conducted a beach rally to convey our motives to the government. This marks the 10th day of our strike, and the 3rd day of suspending emergency services across all government medical colleges in Andhra Pradesh. We want the government to hear our motives and agendas, yet to date, we have not received a proper reply or response. We hope the government takes notice of our cause and responds accordingly," Akash told ANI. Another protesting doctor, Utham, said the doctors would intensify their agitation in the coming days if their concerns remained unresolved. He said, "This is Day 10 of our strike, and Day 3 of our cessation of all emergency services in hospitals. This problem hasn't been resolved in a peaceful or positive manner, and we can confirm with certainty that we are going to intensify this strike in the coming days. We are doing this peacefully and honourably because this is not a question of any political or government issue; this is about the honour of every doctor who is serving until their backs break and remains dedicated to their profession. They deserve to be appreciated." The protest follows the escalation of the junior doctors' agitation on Monday, when doctors across government medical colleges and hospitals in Andhra Pradesh boycotted emergency services, ICUs and operation theatres as their strike entered its eighth day. The move had affected medical services, including maternal and paediatric care, prompting hospital administrations to deploy senior faculty members and assistant surgeons to manage critical wards. The Andhra Pradesh Junior Doctors Association (APJUDA) has been demanding a 30 per cent hike in stipends pending since January 2026, withdrawal of the proposal to increase the retirement age of senior doctors from 62 to 65 years, and recruitment of MSc and PhD candidates as assistant professors strictly in accordance with National Medical Commission (NMC) norms. The doctors have urged the state government to address their demands and initiate a dialogue to resolve the issue. (ANI)
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