Though the non-cooperation strike by doctors over the anomalies in pay revision continues, doctors have said that their main demand regarding basic pay has not been met.
The doctors, under the banner of the Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA), resumed their non-cooperation strike on December 8 pointing out that the government had gone back on the settlement terms. They said the order issued following the strike settlement was erroneous and did not reflect the decisions that had been reached on September 22 and which were detailed in the meeting minutes signed by the Additional Chief Secretary (Health). The main demand of the doctors was that their basic pay which had been slashed following the recommendations of Tenth Pay Commission be restored.
The doctors refused to cooperate with all field-level and administrative activities, review meetings and training programmes. None of the doctors, including the district medical officers or superintendents of the district hospitals had been attending the meetings of the government’s prestigious Aardram Mission or Comprehensive Primary Health Care programme for the past two days.
They are boycotting all outside duties with the exception of Sabarimala and immunisation camps
“The Health Department now claims that it is the Finance Department which should give concurrence to the decisions reached on September 22. We had a discussion with the Finance Department two days ago but no solution seems to be in sight,” general secretary of the KGMOA A.K. Raoof said.
When contacted, Health Minister K.K. Shylaja said all the demands of doctors, except one, had been approved by the Finance Department. It was not right on the part of doctors to put the government under pressure, especially when a slew of new health programmes, intended to change the face of the health sector were being rolled out, she said.
“The issue over which doctors have resumed their non-cooperation is one which affects only a few members in the fraternity and which the Finance Department had just deferred for the time being. We have called the doctors for discussions again on December 20,” Ms. Shylaja said.
