Telangana AYUSH doctors begin indefinite strike over stipend hike
Protesting doctors said Andhra scholars receive ₹60,000 stipends, while Telangana scholars get only ₹30,000, demanding equal financial support.
- Around 6,000 AYUSH house surgeons and postgraduates launched an indefinite strike on August 4.
- Protests are underway at Dr BRKR Ayurvedic College (Erragadda), Nature Cure Hospital (Begumpet) and Nizamia Unani Hospital (Charminar).
- Key demands: stipend hike, parity with allopathic doctors, and payment of arrears since 2016.
- Current AYUSH stipend in Telangana is about Rs 13,754–30,000, far below allopathic house surgeons’ Rs 29,972 and Andhra’s Rs 60,000.
- JAC cites GO Ms No. 77 (2009) which mandates equal stipends but says it has not been implemented.
- Protesters warn of intensified agitation if the government does not issue a clear order on stipend enhancement.
Protests were held at the Dr BRKR Government Ayurvedic College in Erragadda, Konijeti Rosaiah Government Nature Cure Hospital in Begumpet and the Government Nizamia Unani Hospital in Charminar.
A student protesting at Charminar said that they have submitted over 60 representations to the government in the past two years. He said that students are not able to focus on their work as their stipend cannot support their living expenses.
We demand that the government increase the stipend accordingly and clear all arrears.”
“Till Andhra and Telangana were together, they had funds to pay us, but now the situation is such that Andhra scholars get a stipend of Rs 60,000 while we get Rs 30,000,” he said.
The strike, organized under the Telangana AYUSH Joint Action Committee (JAC), has brought together house surgeons and postgraduate scholars from government AYUSH medical colleges and hospitals across the state. Protesters say they perform duties on par with allopathic doctors—handling outpatient and inpatient services, emergency care, patient monitoring, clinical responsibilities and night shifts—yet are paid significantly less.
In Telangana, AYUSH house surgeons currently receive a monthly stipend of around Rs 13,754, compared to Rs 29,972 for their allopathic counterparts, according to JAC leaders. They point to Government Order Ms No. 77, issued in 2009, which mandates equal stipends for house surgeons across both streams, but say the order has not been fully implemented.
The disparity has become a flashpoint for wider frustration over recognition and financial security. Many AYUSH doctors say they are struggling to meet basic expenses amid rising education and living costs, forcing some to take on extra work or borrow money just to get through the month.
“We are serving the public in government hospitals, doing the same work as allopathic junior doctors. But our stipend does not even match the cost of living,” said a house surgeon at the Erragadda hospital. “We are not asking for a favour. We are asking for fairness.”
The JAC has warned that if the government does not respond with a clear decision on stipend enhancement and arrears, the agitation will be intensified across the state. They are also demanding a permanent policy so that any future stipend hikes are equally applicable to AYUSH house surgeons.
For now, the protests continue at major AYUSH institutions in Hyderabad and Warangal, with students and junior doctors holding dharnas, raising slogans and appealing to the public and the government to recognize their contribution—and their rights.