The Federation of Government Doctors Association (FOGDA) has requested the State government to revoke the transfers of 135 doctors and post them to their original places of work.
The government had transferred the doctors and issued charge memos, for leading a week-long strike last year.
The Federation has decided to contribute a day’s salary to the Chief Minister’s relief fund for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) management.
“Healthcare providers are in the frontline of COVID-19 management. The government has recruited a little over 500 doctors on Friday to manage the crisis and they are being posted in their native districts due to the lockdown. This is a welcome move. But the 135 doctors, who were working in hospitals such as in Chennai, Salem, Tiruchi, Sivagangai, Dindigul and Tirunelveli, were transferred and posted in faraway hospitals, at least 400 km away from their original place of work, nearly five months ago,” one of the conveners of FOGDA said.
The association requested the government to re-post these doctors to their original locations and utilise their services at this time of crisis. Due to the lockdown, many of the doctors were finding it difficult to travel so far. This was because they have worked continuously and visit their homes once in a week, and during their off days, according to FOGDA conveners.
The association said the many of the 135 doctors, including 30 women, were specialists with a work experience of at least 15 years. All of them were working across the three directorates of public health, medical education and medical and rural health services.
It may be recalled that on February 28, the Madras High Court, while making it clear that doctors have no right whatsoever to go on strike, quashed the charge memos and transfer orders issued to them.
