Sat Mar 15 17:57:23 UTC 2025: ## Andhra Pradesh Doctors Reject Promotions, Citing Workload and Lack of Support

**Vijayawada, March 15, 2025** – A significant number of eligible government doctors in Andhra Pradesh are rejecting promotions, prompting concern from the state’s Health Minister. While the government attributes the rejections to doctors’ preference for specific locations and a policy allowing multiple promotion refusals, the Government Doctors’ Association (GDA) counters that heavy workload, lack of support, and inadequate infrastructure are the primary deterrents.

Minister Y. Satya Kumar Yadav recently highlighted that 32% of eligible associate professors declined promotion to professor, and 50 out of 85 eligible candidates refused promotion to District Coordinator of Health Services (DCHS). DCHSs oversee crucial secondary healthcare facilities, and the government noted that location was the cited reason for refusal.

GDA president D. Jayadheer Babu disputes this, stating that excessive workload and pressure are major factors. He points to a shortage of faculty in existing medical colleges and a lack of transparency in the transfer process as contributing issues. Doctors are unsure if they can return to preferred locations after a two-year posting, he added.

Furthermore, Dr. Babu highlighted the lack of residential quarters in most government medical colleges, except for Nellore, creating hardship, particularly for female doctors. He also criticized verbal abuse faced by doctors for failing to meet unrealistic targets, leading to demoralization.

The GDA plans to meet the Health Minister next week to present their concerns and request the government investigate the issues before placing blame on the doctors. They argue that addressing workload, improving transparency in transfers, providing adequate housing, and reassessing targets would encourage greater acceptance of promotions.

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