Doctors on contract relent on quit threat

STIFF DEADLINE MBBS Docs Want Permanent Posting And Pay Parity, Say They Will Wait Till June-End For Govt To Fulfil Promises

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

18.06.2020

Bengaluru: Over 500 MBBS doctors working with the health and family welfare department on contract basis have threatened to resign en masse by the end of this month, if their demands for regularisation of jobs and payment on par with other colleagues are not met.

There are 507 MBBS doctors working on contract basis and many of them have been deputed in Covid-19 hospitals. Over 200 of them came to Bengaluru from across the state on Wednesday and assembled at the Seven Ministers’ Quarters on Chowdiah Road.

However, the conciliatory efforts by the health and family welfare department officials resulted in the doctors deciding to extend their resignation ultimatum till this month-end.

The dharna was an escalation of the campaign by members of the Karnataka State Contract Medical Officers Association. Earlier on Tuesday, they had written to the chief minister highlighting their demands on Tuesday. They had requested the state government to either accede to their demands or accept their resignations immediately and relieve them from duties.

“Till January 2017, the state government absorbed contractual doctors with three years of experience into government service. We continued to serve presuming that we too will be considered for permanent posting as was done for our seniors. But the government abruptly abandoned its regularisation norms,” said Dr HK Nithin Kumar, who works at a primary health centre in Hassan.

Over 30% of the 507 doctors are women serving largely in rural and semiurban areas. The Karnataka Government Medical Officers’ Association has extended its support to the protest.

Pay gap a concern

The doctors are upset with the pay disparity. “MBBS doctors recruited on a permanent basis are being paid Rs 80,000 per month, where we earn only Rs 45,000 for the same work. Most of us are posted in rural areas where doctors hesitate to work. Doctors appointed recently on contract basis under the National Health Mission are also being paid Rs 60,000. This disparity has to stop. These issues have been raised with the health minister and senior officers,” said the doctors.

The protesters met health minister B Sriramulu and additional chief secretary of health and family welfare department Jawaid Akhtar. Sriramulu has promised to address their grievances at the earliest.

“The government has taken up the matter. The matter pertaining to hike in salary has already been processed. Regularising the employment will be discussed in the upcoming cabinet meeting,” said health department authorities. The officials claimed the doctors were convinced to continue working given their service is essential during the pandemic situation.

The doctors also met deputy chief minister CN Ashwath Narayan and submitted a memorandum. They will discuss the matter with chief minister Yediyurappa on Thursday.