AP Junior Doctors Demand 30% Stipend Hike, Oppose Retirement Age Proposal

The standoff between junior doctors and the Andhra Pradesh government intensified on Monday as their protest entered its eighth day, with doctors stepping up their agitation by boycotting emergency duties, intensive care units and operation theatres at government medical colleges and hospitals.

The move has begun to affect routine medical services, although authorities have taken steps to prevent disruption to critical care. Senior doctors and assistant surgeons have been deployed in key departments, particularly maternity and paediatric units, to ensure that vulnerable patients continue to receive treatment.

The Andhra Pradesh Junior Doctors Association (APJUDA) is pressing for three major demands. The association wants a 30 per cent hike in stipends, which it says has been pending since January 2026. It is also seeking withdrawal of the proposal to increase the retirement age of senior doctors from 62 to 65 years. The third demand concerns a proposal to appoint MSc and PhD candidates as assistant professors, with the doctors calling for the move to be reviewed in line with National Medical Commission (NMC) regulations.

Junior doctors said they had repeatedly approached the government over the stipend issue since January but received no satisfactory response. They also argued that extending the retirement age of senior doctors could limit job opportunities for newly qualified postgraduate doctors, adding to concerns among the medical fraternity.

In Visakhapatnam, King George Hospital (KGH) and Andhra Medical College have put contingency arrangements in place to keep essential services running. Senior doctors have been assigned to outpatient care, emergency departments, maternity and paediatric services, ICUs and ventilator units. Officials said additional doctors were also brought in through the District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) network.

APJUDA representatives said they had held three meetings with Health Department officials in Amaravati, but claimed that the discussions had failed to produce any meaningful breakthrough. The association has now sought direct talks with the Chief Minister and the Health Minister to resolve the dispute.

A delegation of junior doctors is also scheduled to meet the State Finance Department Secretary on Monday to discuss their demands. APJUDA has maintained that the boycott of emergency services will continue until the government takes a favourable decision on their demands, keeping pressure on the authorities to find a negotiated settlement.