The disparity in salary in proportion to the years of service put in between the Central government doctors and their counterparts serving under the State government seems to be one of the key issues that has forced the strike by the Joint Action Committee of all Government Doctors’ Association (JACGDA) in the state.
Doctors’ strike in state (file photo)
Chennai:
“While doctors under the Central government earn over Rs 40,000 within 13 years of services and doctors under the Central Government Health Services (CGHS) earn the same after completion of six years, doctors under the state medical service reach that level of pay only after serving for 20 years,” said a doctor while explaining the decision behind their present agitation.
Stating that they have to wait for 20 years before they get their basic pay hike, Dr S Srinivasan, a member of the Association and Head of the neo Natal Intensive Care Unit at the Institute of Child Health and Children’s Hospital (ICH), in Egmore, said, “Even professors in arts and engineering colleges do not have to wait that long. They get pay hike within 13 years, as do the CGHS, specialists, teachers in the veterinary colleges.”
While the batch of doctors heading the protest have already received their pay hike, they are stressing the need for the junior doctors in the state to be paid on a par with their counterparts in the Centre. “Our demand is that they get paid on their 13th year of service. While there is a total of 18,000 government doctors in the state, around 4,000 to 5,000 have already got their hike. Around 2,000 to 3,000 doctors will be freshers. Our only demand is that the remaining doctors get their pay hike immediately,” he said, adding that it should not be a big challenge for the government.
Doctors in the state and Centre, besides, professors in engineering, arts and veterinary colleges get a pay of Rs 15,600 to 39,100 at the entry level. However, to get the pay hike of over Rs 39,000 to 67,000 is given to state doctors after 20 years, Central doctors in 13 years, CGHS specialists in six years, and 13 years for arts, engineering and veterinary college teachers.
“As of now, we have put a part of our strike on hold. We are not proceeding with any protests that will affect the patients. However, our non-cooperation movement continues, wherein we are boycotting the government. The court has asked the government to submit their one-man report by December 17 and we are waiting for the same,” added Dr Srinivasan.