CENTRAL ORGANISATION OF RESIDENT DOCTORS- Its time to unite now

CENTRAL ORGANISATION OF  RESIDENT DOCTORS- AN INCEPTION

As everyone knows that in recent months doctors from various states have gone for strike. In Feb.2015 & June 2015 FORDA, in July 2015 MARD & this week KARD went for it, demanding better facilities at hospitals like availability of generic drugs, more number of OT tables, conducive environment and most of all security concerns for resident doctors. What did we get in return, ASSURANCES and nothing much.
After much of brain storming with representatives from all states we have realized that we need one national organization for the interests of resident doctors. We have decided to take our issues to the highest of the authorities. The few points of concern now are :

•  The Central Residency Scheme (CRS) 1992- On the basis of recommendations of the Kartar Singh committee, the Govt. of India introduced a Residency Scheme. Few elements of residency scheme never came into application like providing residential accommodation, free electricity & water. Hours of work: In the CRS 1992, it is clearly mentioned that continuous active duty for resident doctors will not normally exceed 12hours/day. Subject to exigencies of the work of resident doctors, they will be allowed one weekly holiday by rotation. The resident doctors will also required to be on call duty not exceeding 12 hours a day. The resident doctors should ordinarily work for 48 hours/week & not more than 12 hours at a stretch.
  Why the state governments have failed to implement CRS? What did MCI do for implementation of CRS? Why Union Govt. of India never took any cognizance of it ?

 

•   Another thing which bothers our colleagues is service bond. They are forced to sign a bond in few states which has no legal value whatsoever if challenged in court of law. For instance, Mr. Tarun Gogoi, CM, Assam on 25th june 2015 initiated legal action to recover Rs 20 lakh each from as many as 244 doctors who had obtained their post-graduate medical degree in 2014 for violating a commitment for serving at least 10 years under the state government.They ask us to submit our original documents (Retention of Certificates has already been declared illegal by judgement of the court of law) and sign a bond amounting into lakhs in case we don’t serve the bond.
  To us this is actually is a kind of “forced labor” But, why should we serve any sort of bond ? Ain’t we living in free world ?

 

•  Equal Work Equal Pay. Have the States fulfilled the Judgment that was was delivered by  hon'ble supreme court for 'Equal pay for equalwork', famously known as Randhir singh Judgement?  The hon'ble Supreme Court clearly stated there

"No  doubt, equation  of posts   and equation of pay
are matters  primarily  for  the  Executive  Government  and
expert bodies  and not  for the courts, but where all things
are equal that is, where all relevant considerations are the
same, persons  holding identical  posts may  not be  treated
differentially in  the matter  of their  pay merely  because
they belong to different departments."

If this principal applies to different departments, it should certainly do to different states as well. And,If    this is the case , then why there is so much disparity in stipend/salary? When doctors all over India perform same set of duties then there shouldn’t be any disparity.

 

It’s very easy for the governments to give us assurances or impose ESMA. Of course, all of us want to work but in conducive environment. Have they even tried to give us the working conditions, NO.
These are the few points from where we want to make a start .So. we firmly believe that it’s time to make a national organization for resident doctors.  Its high time that now M.B.B.S. students, Interns, Junior Residents, Post graduates/DNBs and Senior residents unite all over India and fight for their cause.
It’s a number game. All we need is to be united & once we are united, they’ll have to bow down for our basic demands.
जिसकी जितनी संख्या होगी, उसी की बात सुनाई देगी.

Pankaj Solanki

President, FORDA