Doctors paralysed the functioning of teaching hospitals across Andhra Pradesh on Monday even as the state cabinet decided to promulgate an ordinance seeking stringent punishment for attacks on them.

Thousands of out-patients gave vent to their anger over the indefinite strike by junior doctors and government doctors. They were protesting against the attack on a female house surgeon by relatives of a woman under-trial prisoner who died in government maternity hospital at Nayapul on December 14.

The woman was five months pregnant and her relatives alleged that it was negligence by doctors that led her to the death. Junior doctors in the teaching hospitals in the state went on a lightning strike from Friday.

The government doctors struck work from Monday morning. In most teaching hospitals, the government doctors stopped attending to emergencies even as the outpatient wings were virtually closed down. From many government hospitals, in-patients started leaving to seek treatment in private hospitals.

Briefing newsmen after the cabinet meeting, Information and Public Relations Minister Anam Ramnarayan Reddy said that the incidence of members of public intimidating and even assaulting medical workers in hospitals have led to agitation

Consequently, he said, the government decided to bring out an ordinance to make any act of violence on any of the medical worker on hospital premises as an offence which will be cognizable and non-bailable.

The ordinance entails a three-term imprisonment for any offence committed against the medical staff. Offences include acts of violence, that is, activities of causing any harm, injury or endangering the life, intimidation etc, on the concerned medical service persons and damage to the property and equipment.

The medical service persons, include doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and medical and nursing students. The ordinance will be applicable to both government as well as private medical establishments.

The government has also decided to set up in a grievance cell in all government hospitals. 

Though the police have arrested three accused in connection with the attack at Nayapul hospital, the junior doctors have refused to call off their indefinite strike, demanding an undertaking from Medical Education Minister Galla Aruna and State Advocate General C V Mohan Reddy owning moral responsibility for the attack.