Authorities ask siddha docs to work for free, hints at paying them after outrage

Authorities ask siddha docs to work for free, hints at paying them after outrage

TNN | Jul 30, 2020, 04.28 AM IST

Trichy: Appealing to the private siddha medical practitioners to join the battle against Covid-19, director of the department of Indian medicine and homeopathy Chennai S Ganesh has hinted at a plan to give them remuneration for their service.

In a circular sent to the principals of all private siddha medical colleges in the state on July 27, he mentioned about the need for volunteer siddha doctors to work at the Covid Care Centres (CCC) in the state free of cost. He also asked the principals of the private siddha medical colleges to furnish the list of volunteers immediately.

The circular caused an outrage in the social media with private siddha practitioners expressing concern over working without remuneration, while the government is spending crores rupees to fight Covid-19.

“We have asked volunteering siddha practitioners to join us. If they are willing, we will take care of their remuneration for which we are working on a plan to pay them at the district-level,” director Ganesh told ToI.

However, Ganesh said on Wednesday, “We are arranging payment for them also,” he said.

Tamil Nadu Siddha Medical Officers Association has also welcomed the decision of paying the remuneration to volunteer siddha doctors. “The government should pay minimum Rs 60,000 to Rs 1 lakh to the private doctors who are willing to join the battle against Covid-19,” said state secretary of the association Dr B Thamizhkkani, adding that there were about 6,000 self-employed registered siddha medical professionals in the state.

Director Ganesh also revealed the plan of bringing up exclusive siddha covid care centres in all the districts at the earliest. “The plans are afoot to set up full-fledged siddha covid care centres with bed facilities in every district. At present, 18 siddha covid care centres are either functioning or about to become operational in Chennai and other districts,” he said.

On the objective of the centres, he said that asymptomatic and mild symptomatic patients referred from the government hospital will be treated here as in-patients under the care of the siddha doctors. “The concept of the centre is to prevent asymptomatic and mild symptomatic patients from deteriorating further,” he said adding that around 1,000 doctors of Ayush stream in the government sector have been involved in the work across the state now.

He also said that government Ayush doctors have been given quarantine for a week after their duty. “To overcome the shortage, we asked the private practitioners to join us,” he said.