Tamil Nadu: Over 15000 government doctors go on an indefinite strike

More than 15,000 government doctors affiliated to the Federation of Government Doctors Association on Friday launched an indefinite strike across Tamil Nadu pressing a four-point charter of demands. The demands include a time-bound promotion, pay parity with their peers in other states and restoring fifty per cent quota in postgraduate medical education for Government doctors. 

As the government initiated talks with representatives of the federation failed, five doctors sat on a "fast unto death" in the premises of the Government Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital, demanding the immediate intervention of Chief Minister K Palaniswami.

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In view of the strike by FOGDA, an umbrella outfit of five associations, inpatient and outpatient services were affected to a considerable extent. Emergency services, however, continued to be on. Those belonging to the FOGDA have said they will attend to only the cases of emergencies, labour wards, and cath labs and would not treat outpatients and those in other inpatient-wards.

Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association (TNGDA) State Secretary Dr. N Ravishankar, however, claimed TNGDA is the major association representing about 16,250 of the total of 18,000 government doctors. "We are not participating in the strike. We have decided to go on strike on October 30 and 31," Dr. Ravishankar said.

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Demands by the doctors

Implementation of a Government Order that envisages time-bound promotions, apart from ensuring appropriate patient-doctor ratio in hospitals by amending another GO are among the demands. Bringing back the 50 per cent quota for government doctors in postgraduate and super-speciality streams is another demand. Filling up posts and carrying out transfers through a transparent counselling process is the other long-time representation of government doctors. 

According to reports, the FOGDA representative Dr C Sundaresan said, "Over a period of time, the difference between Central and State doctors in a key head like basic pay itself is about Rs 40,000 for graduate doctors and Rs 80,000 for specialists." 

The Secretary, Doctors Association for Social Equality, Dr. Shanti Ravindranath, the alleged wide disparity in pay structure between the Central government and Tamil Nadu government doctors. "What the Central government doctors receive in their 13th year of service (Rs 1,23,100) is received by Tamil Nadu government doctors in their 21st year," Dr. Shanti claimed. Implementation of the Government Order (GO 354-Pay band 4) will address the issue, Dr. Shanti, who was formerly with a leading Central government health care facility, said.

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Meanwhile, the state health minister Dr. C Vijayabhaskar has appealed to the doctors to return to work as there is a spike in dengue cases in the state.

Tamil Nadu has 24 State-run medical colleges and 50 hospitals attached to such institutions, one multi-super speciality hospital, and a dental college hospital. Also, there are over 25 district headquarters hospitals, 273 talukas and non-taluka hospitals, 1,806 Primary health care centres, 8,713 health sub-centres, and 460 urban primary health centres.

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(With input from agencies)