Rajasthan govt buys time till Nov 30 to meet doctors’ demands

JAIPUR: The government doctors are not cooperating with the health department in meetings, training, report filing and they are also boycotting camps for family welfare in protest of their 33 demands have not been fulfilled yet.

However, health minister Kalicharan Saraf pointed out that the doctors wanted that their 33 demands should be fulfilled immediately. "On Wednesday, we held a meeting with the doctors. The meeting continued for three hours, which ended in a pleasant manner. We discussed each and every demand," Saraf told ToI.

He said, "For fulfilling some demands, we constituted committees while for other demands which did not require any financial help, we approved them. But, they were adamant on one demand which was to remove the RAS officer given posting of additional director (gazetted)."

Saraf said that in their meetings with the agitating doctors it was discussed that the health department needed time up to November 30, but the doctors looked in hurry to get their demands fulfilled.

However, the doctors claimed that they have given enough time to the health department to take decision on their demands. "We have been protesting for at least three months for our demands but nothing has been done so far," said Dr Ajay Chaudhay, president All Rajasthan In Service Doctors Association (ARISDA).

Dr Chaudhary said that the doctors are not taking part in any activity of the health department. "We are not participating in any video conferencing, also we are not attending state-level meetings organised by health directorate, and we are not taking part in training at state level. Also, the doctors are not sending report from blocks, community health centres, primary health centres to health directorate protesting against the state government.

Also, doctors are not taking part in outreach camps organised for family welfare.