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The Andhra Pradesh Junior Doctors’ Association (APJUDA) has ended its 16-day strike, with doctors set to resume their duties from August 26, 2023, following a High Court order from the previous day. The High Court directed the State government to address the doctors’ concerns within two weeks. APJUDA president U. Eswar Shankar confirmed that all protesting doctors would return to work in line with the court’s mandate, which has not yet been published online.

The court’s order followed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Guduri Venkata Ravindra Kumar from Prakasam district on August 24, requesting a Writ of Mandamus to guarantee uninterrupted medical services and an effective contingency staffing mechanism. The case was heard by a Bench led by Chief Justice Lisa Gill, with the order issued on Tuesday.

Doctors met with Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav and Health Secretary G. Veerapandian to discuss the situation. While thanking the doctors for ending the strike, the Minister pledged the government’s support for their demands, including a consideration of increasing the retirement age and raising the stipend. A special committee led by Mr. Veerapandian would review the issue within two days, taking into account financial constraints and doctors’ concerns.

The Minister also indicated that the government was reevaluating the proposal to appoint MSc and PhD-qualified individuals to non-clinical roles, but no final decision had been made yet. The strike, which affected over 9,000 doctors across the state, saw the appointment of 289 private doctors in selected hospitals and 190 doctors in secondary health departments to maintain essential health services.