BAMS, BUMS holders sulk as pay hike given only to MBBS docs

Nagpur: Denial of salary hike by the government on the lines of allopathic practitioners has irked the BAMS and BUMS practitioners.
Government of Maharashtra, on May 29, issued a resolution and gave substantial salary hike to doctors working on contract (bond service) in state. But, the GR specifically mentions that the hike is exclusively for MBBS doctors working on contract. There are many BAMS (ayurveda) and BUMS (unani) doctors in state doing similar work in villages for years and even during Covid-19 crisis. They have been deprived of salary hike.
National Integrated Medical Association (NIMA), Maharashtra branch, has written to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray about this injustice and demanded that the benefit of salary hike should be extended to them too.
“BAMS and BUMS degree holders are working in rural and tribal areas since years. They work at par with the MBBS doctors. In fact, in rural areas, BAMS doctors share more burden of public healthcare,” reads a statement issued by NIMA president Dr GS Kulkarni.
“Non-MBBS doctors are working in all types of clinical establishments right from primary health centre to rural hospitals. As Covid-19 cases are now growing in rural areas, they are providing services in quarantine centres, Covid care centres, isolation wards, screening centres and also in OPDs. Their salaries are not revised since years,” said Dr Anil Bajare, general secretary of NIMA.
In fact, in Maharashtra, all MBBS, MS, MD, diploma and super speciality doctors graduating from government and municipal medical colleges have to render mandatory service to the government for a stipulated period. This is called bond service. The present GR was issued to revise salaries of such bonded doctors. BAMS and BUMS degree-holders need not to go through such bond service.
“We admit that BAMS and BUMS doctors are not asked for bond service. But, bonded doctors work for a year or two and go back to their cities. On the other hand, BAMS doctor posted in the same rural hospital remains working for years together and serves rural masses. Then why such discrimination?,” asked Dr Vishnu Bawane, member of press committee of NIMA.
NIMA has also pointed out that doctors working in same hospital, serving same patients face same risks during Covid-19 period. “Government itself appoints BAMS and BUMS doctors on various posts, but when it comes to salary revision, we face discrimination. Our salaries are not even half of what the bonded MBBS doctors are getting for the same work we do,” said Dr Sampada Sawant, a BAMS medico serving in rural health centre in Yavatmal.