Karnataka - Madikeri   

Government hospital doctors want pay hike

Madikeri: Doctors of the Government hospitals in Kodagu have demanded a salary hike by November 10. They have given the Government 45-day deadline to fulfil their demand. If their demand was not met, they will abstain from work in protest and patients would suffer, said District Surgeon, Ajith Kumar here on Saturday and added that they had given a memorandum in this regard on September 25.

Dr. Kumar told presspersons that medical officers working in the Government medical colleges were drawing more than double the salaries of their counterparts working in the Government hospitals in the State. Citing an example, he said, a general duty medical officer in the hospitals was paid Rs. 18,290 while tutors in the medical colleges, which is an equivalent post, were paid Rs. 32,353. A senior specialist in the hospitals was paid Rs. 23,640 while an assistant professor in medical colleges was paid Rs. 57,713.

Dr. Kumar said that shortage of specialists in the district hospital had hampered its functioning. Only 22 doctors were appointed while the total number of sanctioned posts was 36. Seven posts of specialists, two posts of physicians, three paediatricians and two gynaecologists, were lying vacant. The Deputy Commissioner was empowered to appoint specialist doctors, but no candidate had come forward to take up the job because of the low salary.

The district hospital did not have the necessary infrastructure to provide ICU facility to patients. Centralised oxygen supply system and air conditioning are not available; monitors were lying idle as there was no specialist doctor available to man the facility. Setting up of a dialysis unit and telemedicine facility would require specialists. The Eye Bank also lacks necessary infrastructure. But, Blood Bank was functioning satisfactorily, he said. To a question on why blood donors were being charged, Dr. Kumar said fees were levied on them so as to meet the cost of kits needed to conduct various tests on blood, including the HIV test. Dr. Kumar added that diesel generator sets were functioning in the absence of electric power supply because the User Funds were being used to buy diesel.

The laboratories were not being operated fully as all seven sanctioned posts of technicians were lying vacant. Part-time technicians from Virajpet and Sunticoppa hospitals came twice a week to make up for the shortage, he added. The Ayurvedic wing at the District Hospital was yet to start formally since posting of doctors was needed to be done as also supply of medicines. Owing to these reasons, establishing ayurvedic, unani, sidha, homoeopathy wing too had been delayed, he said.

The Government had also ordered setting up a five-bed geriatrics ward in the district hospital separately for men and women recently, Dr. Kumar informed.

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