Around 6,000 junior doctors in public hospitals across Telangana have launched an indefinite strike starting June 24, protesting against the government's delay in addressing their demands. As a result, outpatient services have been severely disrupted and non-emergency surgeries postponed, leaving patients in a lurch.

On June 18, T-JUDA had notified the Directorate of Medical Education about the strike, listing demands such as a green channel for timely stipend disbursement, a Rs 1.25 lakh honorarium for super-speciality senior residents, police deployment to prevent violence against doctors in hospitals, construction of new hostels, adequate faculty in medical colleges, and building a new facility for Osmania General Hospital in Hyderabad.

While in-patient services at most government hospitals have been affected, administrators are curtailing non-emergency services, including surgeries and out-patient consultations. Measures are being planned to ensure patient care continues even if emergency services are blocked, with revised duty rosters and non-clinical doctors, including those in microbiology and pathology, being assigned to routine hospital work. Even doctors involved in teaching assignments have been enlisted. Protesting doctors have gathered outside hospital buildings, holding placards and raising slogans. 
Hospital authorities have cancelled the leaves of all faculty and inspection duties of professors and department heads to ensure that patient services continue without disruption.