TN Health Minister issues ultimatum to striking doctors to join duty

Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar has warned protesting doctors to return to the duty by Thursday. He has said that they'll be replaced if they don't come back to the duty by Thursday evening. Around 15,000 government doctors across the state are on strike since a week on various demands including pay scale equal to central government doctors, periodic salary raise and promotions from the state health department and 50% state-wise reservation for PG speciality and super speciality courses and to conduct service PGs postings through counselling. 

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Doctors group discredited by state

Talks with the government failed as the state government refused to fulfil the demands of the doctors. Moreover, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapaddi Palaniswamy said that the doctors association named Federation of Government Doctors Association (FOGDA) which is protesting now is not a recognized association by the government. The health minister also claimed that only 3,000 doctors are protesting and the numbers given by the association is a false one. He also said that all the main associations are on duty without any such issues. 

But the day-to-day activities are not affected much because of the on-going the strikes as doctors are available for emergency OP, emergency surgeries and dengue OP for last 6 days in the govt hospitals, since the beginning of the protest. 

READ | Tamil Nadu government asks doctors on strike to resume their duties

Ultimatum to striking doctors

Health minister Vijayabaskar gave a statement that the ongoing strike should not affect the treatment of poor and hence all the doctors who are on strike should join the duty by 2 pm on Thursday and the talks can continue later. "Those who don't return to duty within today will be terminated and we are already in process to recruit new doctors immediately to fill the absence," said Vijayabaskar. The govt also said that the trainee doctors who are participating in these protests will not get conduct certificate which is very important for the medical career as they don't have any role in this strike. Even after the timeframe given by the state government is over, the doctors still continue the strike at Rajiv Gandhi GH at Chennai.

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