The Federation of Government Doctors Association (FOGDA) has demanded that the State government immediately grant the assured incentive of one-month special pay for government doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the solatium of ₹50 lakh for families of doctors who have died due to COVID-19.

The association, in a way to mark a year of their protest held on August 27 when 15,000 doctors from across the State participated in a token strike, has put forward a list of demands during a meeting with officials of the Health Department.

The association stated that government doctors were working round-the-clock in COVID-19 prevention and treatment. During the lockdown, the doctors carried out non-COVID-19 services including maternal and child care. Many of them acquired the infection during work, and a few of them succumbed to it. However, these doctors were not receiving appropriate pay or promotions for their work, a statement issued by FOGDA said.

Apart from the solatium for families of doctors who lost their lives to COVID-19, the association demanded the immediate granting of the Central government insurance amount for the families and a government job for a family member.

With COVID-19 cases on the rise, the FOGDA demanded that the government should give the ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for doctors who tested positive for COVID-19.

The association also raised the long-pending demands of government doctors -- time scale pay and promotions (pay band-4 at 12 years as per Government Order 354), 50% service quota for postgraduate courses, conduct of counselling for PGs to fill up posts, and maintaining posts of doctors according to the number of patients.

The association urged the government to post the doctors, who took part in the strike conducted last year and were subsequently transferred, to their original places of work. The Madras High Court had quashed the 17B charge memos and transfer orders issued to more than 100 doctors for participating in the strike. However, the government has filed an appeal against this order last week. The association urged the government to withdraw the appeal keeping in mind the welfare of the doctors during the pandemic.