Only 9.7% of doctors still on strike, claims Health Minister

However, the Federation of Government Doctors’ Association puts the figure at over 60%

Up in arms: Government doctors taking part in a protest on Thursday

Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar on Thursday said only 9.7% of a total of 16,475 government doctors were still striking work. He extended the deadline for the doctors to report for duty to Friday morning.

However, doctors affiliated to the Federation of Government Doctors’ Association (FOGDA) refuted the Minister’s claims, saying that more than 60% of the doctors from across the State were still taking part in the indefinite strike, even as the government was threatening to transfer many of them and declare their posts vacant.

The Minister said as many as 1,163 doctors were still on strike. “On the side of the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, doctors attached to the Primary Health Centres (PHC) in Cuddalore, Tiruppur, Villupuram, Sankarankoil and Ramanathapuram have returned to duty today. Doctors attached to medical college hospitals in places like Madurai, Vellore and Dharmapuri have returned to work,” he told reporters.

Transfer orders issued

Health Secretary Beela Rajesh said transfer orders had been issued to nearly 70 striking doctors. “We have a list of 5,000 doctors waiting [for appointment] from our last round of selection through the Medical Services Recruitment Board. We have classified them, and there are a number of specialists and super specialists available,” she said.

A. Ramalingam, convenor of FOGDA, said 60% to 70% of the doctors were still participating in the strike across the State. “Our strike continues,” he said.

The Tamil Nadu Medical Officers’ Association said 4,500 out of a total of 6,000 medical officers of PHCs were still striking work, while the rest were handling emergencies, deliveries and fever cases at block PHCs.

Agitating doctors said many of them had received calls threatening them that they would be transferred or that charges would be framed against them. A senior doctor of a medical college hospital in Chennai said many of them were not allowed to mark their attendance on the biometric attendance system and were told to sign in the attendance register alone.