Govt docs revive demand for pay hike after a year

They said that the work pressure on the doctors has increased manifold, whereas pay remains low when compared to other States. According to them, it has been more than a year since government doctors withdrew their strike on promises of implementation of pay band four by the State government.

However, as the pay hike has not been executed yet, they have revived their demand stating that about 18,000 government doctors in the State have worked tirelessly to handle the burden of COVID-19 patients and more than 70 per cent of the total number of the patients have been treated at government hospitals.

“COVID fatalities have come down significantly and the recovery rate has improved immensely, especially when compared to other states that recorded the high number of cases. Doctors have been in a state of pressure from the beginning of the pandemic and a vacuum has been created due to doctors getting infected, quarantine procedures and increased work pressure,” said Dr S Perumal Pillai, secretary of Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association.

Government doctors’ associations said that treatment worth Rs 1,346 crore is provided at government healthcare facilities under insurance schemes every year. Implementation of pay band four at least after 12 years of service will also give back half the amount through insurance schemes to the government. Dr GR Ravindranath, secretary of Doctor’s Association for Social Equality, added that government doctors have been requesting to implement pay band four for more than three years. But the State Health Department has not fulfilled the demands of pay equal to their counterparts in the central government.