Maha AYUSH doctors of rural hospitals stage demonstration demanding salary hike, permanent job

Mumbai: Coming forward with their various demands, almost 100 community medical officials under the AYUSH stream practicing at rural hospitals staged an agitation at the headquarters of the Thane Zilla Parishad in Maharashtra on Monday. 

Many of these Ayush practitioners work as community health workers in rural areas. The protesters came under the banner of Maharashtra Rajya Samudaya Arogya Adhikari Sanghatana and went on a one-day strike in 36 different districts of Maharashtra at the respective district headquarters to press for their demands.

According to Dr Tejaswini Sonawane, the vice-president of the organisation's Thane district unit, the protesting doctors have demanded that they be made permanent in government services and given a group and class, apart from a hike in salary and compensation, among other demands, reports PTI.

Many of the community health workers who dedicated their lives and served during COVID despite the fear of infection have not been paid their dues yet. Moreover, the rule of recruiting only MBBS doctors as medical officers in rural areas is also creating a hurdle in the recruitment of sufficient medical professionals. 

The association issued a press release explaining their demands. "For the last three years, nursing and health management graduates have been recruited in health sub-centres in rural areas on a contract basis. This cadre made a very important contribution to the COVID vaccination program during and after COVID in rural areas. These cadres who work on contract and very low wages have been harassed by the poor governance in the administration."

"The rural population is deprived of primary health care and the unannounced rule of providing only MBBS medical officers is being implemented by the Public Health Department", the association further added.

One of the doctors attached to the association, Dr Pradip stated, " Those new MBBS doctors coming to rural areas lack the mentality required to provide rural preventive health care. Experienced doctors working in rural areas have retired in the last five years. Therefore, the option of empowering rural health services with their guidance is also not there"

The practitioners also highlighted that cadres with postgraduate education in Public Health have not yet been recruited for the implementation of health programs in the Public Health Department and there is uncertainty as to when they will be recruited.

" Till now the community health officers in the rural areas have not been remunerated for the work done at that time.Central/State Governments that cannot pay Community Health Officers a living wage are playing with public health. Rural health work is not 'Work from Home'. The only way to do that is to go to the rural community. But, the treatment they are receiving is shocking", added the press release.

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