Min vows pay hike in 6 weeks, docs end stir
Wanted Perks On A Par With Central Scale
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai:28.08.2019
Government doctors across the state, who struck work barring emergencies on Tuesday, backed down after health minister C Vijayabaskar assured them that their demands, including salary hike, would be met within six weeks.
The doctors called off their strike at 10.15pm after talks with the minister that lasted close to 10 hours. The doctors had rallied around six of their colleagues, who were on the fifth day of a fast, demanding promotions and pay hike.
“Doctors want the prospective clause of government order 354 promising time-bound promotion in five, nine, 11, 12 years of service to be implemented. They want us to appoint more doctors and 50% service quota in medical education for government doctors. All this will be considered,” Vijayabaskar said.
The state has appointed Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society project director Dr K Senthil Raj as a special officer to look into the doctors’ demands. “There will be a review once in two weeks and the report will be finalised in four weeks,” he said.
Service doctors and PG Association state president Dr Lakshmi Narasimhan said doctors were hopeful that the government would fulfil their long-term demand in less than six weeks. “We are now withdrawing our strike,” he said.
In the morning, when news about the deteriorating health condition of fasting doctors spread, hundreds of their colleagues took out rallies, held placards and raised slogans. Outpatient units in various districts were deserted and elective surgeries were pushed. By noon, Vijaya Baskar called the Federation of Government Doctors’ Association for talks.
Doctors in the state are demanding pay parity with those at the Centre in addition to special service rules taking into account their nature of work and a higher age of retirement as in the case of central government doctors whose superannuation age is 65. The salary of doctors in state and central services is the same when they join duty, but doctors in central government services receive promotions in four, nine, 13 and 20 years, compared to eight, 15, 17 and 20 years in the state government. Doctors in the state get their first increment with a basic salary of ₹56,900 (₹800 increment from the basic joining salary) in their eighth year of service, by which time a central government employee will earn nearly₹78,800 with two increments. “Every time we strike work they promise to do something. It has never worked out,” said Dr A Ramalingam, convenor of Federation of Government Doctors’ Association. “Today, we were told that a committee that was appointed last time made its recommendation to the state but it was rejected. Now, we want the GO to be implemented,” he said.
The six doctors on a fast since August 23 are being monitored at the intensive care unit of the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.
Besides cities, the strike had an impact on healthcare services in district hospitals and PHCs. In Tiruvanammalai and Vellore, patients who came for wound dressing, review of surgery and vaccines were sent away.
FOR PAY PARITY: Government doctors stage a protest at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai on Tuesday
Wanted Perks On A Par With Central Scale
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai:28.08.2019
Government doctors across the state, who struck work barring emergencies on Tuesday, backed down after health minister C Vijayabaskar assured them that their demands, including salary hike, would be met within six weeks.
The doctors called off their strike at 10.15pm after talks with the minister that lasted close to 10 hours. The doctors had rallied around six of their colleagues, who were on the fifth day of a fast, demanding promotions and pay hike.
“Doctors want the prospective clause of government order 354 promising time-bound promotion in five, nine, 11, 12 years of service to be implemented. They want us to appoint more doctors and 50% service quota in medical education for government doctors. All this will be considered,” Vijayabaskar said.
The state has appointed Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society project director Dr K Senthil Raj as a special officer to look into the doctors’ demands. “There will be a review once in two weeks and the report will be finalised in four weeks,” he said.
Service doctors and PG Association state president Dr Lakshmi Narasimhan said doctors were hopeful that the government would fulfil their long-term demand in less than six weeks. “We are now withdrawing our strike,” he said.
In the morning, when news about the deteriorating health condition of fasting doctors spread, hundreds of their colleagues took out rallies, held placards and raised slogans. Outpatient units in various districts were deserted and elective surgeries were pushed. By noon, Vijaya Baskar called the Federation of Government Doctors’ Association for talks.
Doctors in the state are demanding pay parity with those at the Centre in addition to special service rules taking into account their nature of work and a higher age of retirement as in the case of central government doctors whose superannuation age is 65. The salary of doctors in state and central services is the same when they join duty, but doctors in central government services receive promotions in four, nine, 13 and 20 years, compared to eight, 15, 17 and 20 years in the state government. Doctors in the state get their first increment with a basic salary of ₹56,900 (₹800 increment from the basic joining salary) in their eighth year of service, by which time a central government employee will earn nearly₹78,800 with two increments. “Every time we strike work they promise to do something. It has never worked out,” said Dr A Ramalingam, convenor of Federation of Government Doctors’ Association. “Today, we were told that a committee that was appointed last time made its recommendation to the state but it was rejected. Now, we want the GO to be implemented,” he said.
The six doctors on a fast since August 23 are being monitored at the intensive care unit of the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.
Besides cities, the strike had an impact on healthcare services in district hospitals and PHCs. In Tiruvanammalai and Vellore, patients who came for wound dressing, review of surgery and vaccines were sent away.
FOR PAY PARITY: Government doctors stage a protest at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai on Tuesday
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