NAGPUR: Doctors on contract (120 or 360 days) at the city’s government medical colleges have gone on an indefinite strike from Monday as many of their demands have not been met. Over 400 medical officers in Maharashtra have struck work. In Nagpur, patients were affected as 33 doctors at GMCH and 15 from IGGMCH joined the strike.
These doctors, who are also working as lecturers, were promised permanent status in the college and hospital long ago. During the challenging Covid-19 times, the doctors were quite hopeful of getting absorbed as regular employees as the government was on a recruitment spree. But nothing positive emerged for the striking doctors.
“Even during the hard and stressful Covid-19 times, we worked tirelessly and wholeheartedly and yet, the government is not willing to give us permanent service,” said Dr Sameer Golawar, general secretary of Maharashtra state medical teachers’ association.
The association has written to the director of medical education Dr T P Lahane about their demands. “To tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, the government needs more doctors. We have been working on contract basis since the last 11 years and deserve first preference. We should also be given the benefits of the seventh pay commission,” said Golawar.
The other demands of the association include scrapping of renewal of contracts after 120 days of work and two days of leave and posting of adequate medical officers at government hospitals. The doctors have been raising these demands since a long time. In October, doctors worked with black arm bands for two days to protest the government’s inaction to fulfil their demands. They had also gathered in front of the office of the deans in both government medical colleges and raised slogans.
The on-contract doctors are recruited by a committee headed by the dean of the medical college. Their recruitment is on a temporary basis until their vacancies are not filled through the UPSC recruitments.