Telangana AYUSH students, house surgeons and post-graduate doctors have called off their 28-day strike on Monday following an assurance from Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha that their long-pending demand for a stipend hike would be addressed.

A delegation of AYUSH students, house surgeons, postgraduate doctors and student leaders met the Minister in Hyderabad and informed him of their grievances.  The delegation highlighted the demand for an increase in stipends for AYUSH house surgeons and postgraduate doctors, which they said had remained pending for nearly a decade. They sought parity with the stipends paid to their allopathy counterparts.

“The Minister heard our concerns and assured us that the government would take a positive decision on increasing AYUSH stipends to a level on par with allopathy. He also assured us that the necessary procedures would be completed and an official Government Order (GO) would be issued soon,” said a statement from the doctors.

Following the assurance, the AYUSH students and doctors announced the withdrawal of their indefinite strike.