No Headway in Andhra Junior Doctors' Strike Talks; Agitation to Continue

Junior doctors in Andhra Pradesh will continue their strike after a meeting with Health and Family Welfare Minister Satya Kumar Yadav on Thursday, August 20, made no headway. The meeting at the State Secretariat was the first between the government and the doctors since the strike began.

According to a press release from the Health Department, Mr. Yadav told the delegation that the government was not in a position to continue with the 15% biennial stipend hike. He, however, assured the doctors that their other two demands would be considered. These include following National Medical Commission (NMC) regulations on recruiting candidates with MSc and PhD qualifications, and not implementing the proposed increase in the retirement age to 65 years.

Andhra Pradesh Junior Doctors' Association (APJUDA) treasurer D. Ranjeet said the meeting produced no positive result. "There was no positive outcome from the meeting. The strike will continue. However, we have been assured of another round of talks soon," he said.

The strike entered its tenth day on Thursday, with demonstrations continuing at government hospitals. On Wednesday night, candlelight rallies were held at several hospitals to oppose the government's offer. Thursday was also the fourth day since emergency services were withdrawn.

The doctors have three main demands: a higher stipend, adherence to NMC norms for recruitment, and withdrawal of the proposal to raise the retirement age. In a late-night statement on Wednesday, the association rejected the government's proposed 3% annual stipend hike for junior doctors and 5% for interns, calling them "inadequate and unjustifiable." At the same time, they scaled down their own demand from a 30% biennial revision to 20%.

Health Secretary G. Veerapandian had earlier stated that the government could not concede the stipend demand because of the State's financial situation. The doctors, however, argued that the proposed increase was too small to compensate for inflation. They said a 15% increase in stipends would involve an additional annual expenditure of ₹87.91 crore. They pointed out that this amount was approximately 0.5% of the total budget allocated to the Health Department in the Budget Estimates for 2026-27 and about 0.03% of the State Budget for the same period.

The Health Department had said that raising stipends was difficult because Assistant Professors earn less. In response, the junior doctors said Assistant Professors had not received the benefit of one Pay Revision Commission (PRC), which would otherwise have increased their salaries.

The association has said the strike will continue until the government addresses their demands. Another round of talks has been assured, but no date has been announced yet.