COIMBATORE: Around 300 government hospital
doctors protested in front of the dean’s office at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital demanding that their pay grade and promotions be matched with that offered by the central government.
A group of government hospital doctors, under the
Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association, protested in front of the CMCH on Monday morning. The
protest lasted 45 minutes.
“Our promotions in the state government’s service is at eight, 15, 17 and 20 years but in the central government the promotions and pay grade changes happen at four, nine, 13 and 20 years of service,” said state secretary of Tamilnadu Government Doctors Association (TNGDA) N Ravishankar.
“Also under central government service, doctors get into pay band-4 which includes a basic
salary of Rs 1.23 lakh a month after 13 years and super grade pay band after 20 years in service which includes a basic salary of Rs 1.44 lakh a month,” said Ravishankar.
Doctors said that state government doctors get pay band 4 only after 20 years of service. “We are protesting against the seven-year delay in getting pay band 4 salary and its benefits. We are being completely deprived of super grade pay. Our workload is heavy because of the implementation of around 20 state and central government health projects, including seeing and vaccinating some 200 to 300 patients a day,” he said.
On August 24, the protesting doctors in all districts will march to the collectorate and submit a petition. From August 27, they will abstain from taking classes, attending meetings and signing insurance schemes.
