The Service Doctors’ and Post Graduates’ Association (SDPGA) has urged the Health Minister to fulfil some of the long-pending demands of government doctors in the State.
In a statement issued on Friday, the association said that government doctors had been demanding the right pay on a par with qualification and experience.
In September 2018, when government doctors were in for a State-wide strike, the Health Minister held talks with them and promised that their demands would be met within four weeks, but nothing happened.
In August 2019, the doctors again went on a State-wide strike. The Minister promised to fulfil their demands within six weeks. But none of the demands were taken into consideration.
This prompted the doctors to go on an indefinite strike during the end of October, 2019. They withdrew the strike following the Chief Minister’s assurance that their demands would be met.
“To our dismay, our demands have not been fulfilled till date. Instead, 118 doctors were transferred,” the association said.
Following High Court directions, the government withdrew the transfer orders after seven months. However, 20 doctors were not given postings at their original places of work, the association said.
Noting that quite a large number of government doctors had tested positive for COVID-19 and a chief medical officer had succumbed to the infection, the association said that doctors continued their work with dedication and urged the Health Minister to fulfill their demands.
