Health Services doctors have decided to go on a hunger strike on Thiruvonam day in pursuit of their demands.
With this hunger strike, in which all district-level and State-level leaders of the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association would participate, the doctors are hoping that the government and the public would understand the issues that had led them to give a strike call on September 27.
So far no human rights activists had stepped in to speak for the doctors, said an officer of the Health Services. The doctors did not want to go on a strike. But the government was pushing them to an agitation by not heeding their genuine demands. When the strike happened, those voicing concern about violations of rights would slam the doctors, he said.
There had been no talks or assurances on correcting the anomalies of the 10th Pay Commission award that had created much distress among the government medical officers. Among the anomalies are the huge cuts on the basic pay forcing many categories of doctors to pay back salaries they had drawn, discrepancies in the salaries of different categories of doctors, and scant consideration for specialist doctors.
