A showdown between Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa and the government appears to be on the cards over the issue of shortage of doctors in government hospitals.
Expressing anger that the Finance Department was sleeping for nearly six months over a proposal to increase the salaries of doctors on contract in government hospitals, the Speaker on Thursday warned that he would visit the office of the Finance Department if it did not clear the proposal within three days.
The Speaker’s ultimatum has set off alarm bells in the government as none other than Chief Minister Siddaramaiah holds the Finance portfolio.
Ridiculing the government over the delay in clearing a proposal that was in public interest, he wondered, “Is this transparency?”
Indirectly reminding the Chief Minister of his responsibility to ensure that enough number of doctors are available to people, Mr. Thimmappa said, “I’m particularly concerned over the shortage of doctors affecting the health sector as the Chief Minister had promised to provide health for all in his first Budget [presented in 2013].”
The issue came up when the Speaker took on Health Minister U.T. Khader over the issue of doctors’ shortage during Question Hour in the Assembly. Mr. Khader said it may take another six months to fill the doctors’ vacancies in 559 primary health centres as the recruitment would be done through the Karnataka Public Service Commission.
Though the government had directed the respective district officials to recruit doctors on contract as a stop-gap arrangement, most of such contract staff would not stay in government service. Hence the Health Department planned to increase contract doctors’ salary to Rs. 40,000 a month and that of regular service doctors to Rs. 70,000 a month. However, the proposal was pending with the Finance Department for the last six months, he said.
Observing that low salary was discouraging young doctors from taking up the job, he suggested that the government offer Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 60,000 a month to contract doctors.
In fact, the Speaker himself asked the question related to shortage of doctors to the Health Minister during Question Hour in the absence of an MLA who had posed the question.
Senior Congress member K.R. Ramesh Kumar intervened and appealed to the Speaker not to take such a tough stand which would make the Minister nervous.
