Unkept promises have left hundreds of government doctors a disappointed lot. After being at the centre of COVID-19 care for a year, several government doctors feel the government’s unfulfilled assurances, including the long-pending pay hike and promotions, will be the main issues for them at the Assembly election.
In the last few years, government doctors staged various forms of protests — including a seven-day strike by members of the Federation of Government Doctors Association (FOGDA) in October 2019 — and held several rounds of talks with the Health Department to resolve the long-pending issues. While these demands remained unmet, the Chief Minister, at the start of the pandemic in March 2020, assured healthcare providers/workers on COVID-19 duty of a one-month special pay. Later, the government announced ₹2 lakh in ex gratia for those who contracted the infection. Both promises are yet to reach them.
“Having seen the COVID-19 crisis, the government should have fulfilled its assurances. Government doctors managed 90% of the COVID-19 patients at the primary, secondary and tertiary level,” FOGDA convener A. Ramalingam said.
Government doctors have for long been demanding the implementation of Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP) as spelt out in Government Order 354. In its existing form, the scheme meant promotions at 15, 17 and 20 years, instead of four, nine and 13 years as for Central government doctors. A review of the Government Order that would guarantee them remuneration and promotions has been pending since 2017. “We have been demanding basic pay on a par with Central government doctors. We start with a basic pay of ₹56,100, but as years go on, the gap widens. Central government doctors reach the final pay band-4 by 12 years, but we reach it in 20 years. We have been demanding time-bound promotions on a par with them,” a government doctor said.
This is why many of them have been arguing that Tamil Nadu government doctors are among the lowest paid in the country.
K. Senthil, president of the Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association (TNGDA), said that instead of meeting their demand for compression of pay band-4, the Health Department offered allowances, and this order was pending clearance from the Election Commission. “Some of the unfulfilled promises were a one-month special pay for doctors and ₹2 lakh for those who contracted the infection. Government doctors definitely deserved the pay, and that the demand remains unfulfilled has disappointed many. It is to be noted that the government accepted our suggestions to provide accommodation and food to doctors on COVID-19 duty,” he said.
Another physician noted that the government’s high-handed approach that included “punishment transfers” of doctors who led the strike was disappointing.
One of the crucial issues was 50% reservation for in-service candidates. Doctors who have completed MBBS and work at primary health centres will get 50% reservation in the MS/MD seats allotted to the State government. Similarly, doctors with MS/MD degrees who are in government service for two years will get 50% reservation in the super-speciality courses — DM and MCh.
“Even after clearing the legal hurdle to the implementation of a 50% service quota, the government did not go for a special ordinance,” another doctor said. This would have a huge implication on public health owing to the dearth of qualified specialists, doctors noted.
Conduct of transparent counselling for postings, transfers and promotions, besides increasing the number of posts for doctor according to the case-load at medical colleges and government hospitals, are the other long-pending demands.
