Bihar Doctors' Association demands improve working conditions, security at workplace

Patna: Criticizing the state government for not addressing their demands, the newly-constituted committee of the Bihar Health Services Association (BHSA) warned the government that strict action will be taken if the working condition of medical practitioners are not improved.

One of the key demands of BHSA is to get flexible working hours for the doctors which have been thrown into turmoil after the doctors had to work two days in a stretch due to the acute scarcity.

In addition, BHSA's demands include security of doctors at workplace, allotting them home posting, fixing their duty hours, filling up vacant posts, and implementing the revised grade pay of specialist doctors.

Fix duty hours

Having told the state government about fixing the working hours of the doctors, the issue was evidently ignored and the track continued since their demands went unheard.

Medical dialogues team had earlier reported about the matter where doctors associated with various government hospitals and other health facilities in Bihar gone on a peaceful strike under the aegis of the BHSA after the health department made biometric attendance compulsory.

Also read- Bihar Government Doctors Protest Against Mandatory Biometric Attendance, Share 11-Point Demands

However, the decision was opposed by government doctors, especially those posted at the level of the district hospital and below alleging that it would affect their working life. Due to the shortage of medical practitioners, the doctors manage their duties through mutual arrangements with their colleagues.

Therefore, they are saying that they would no longer have the flexibility to mutually alter and adjust their working hours after the introduction of the biometric attendance system.

Dr Ranjeet Kumar, general secretary of the BHSA said "There are only around 6,000 doctors against 13,800 sanctioned posts. At times, doctors even have to work for more than 48 hours at a stretch. We are not averse to biometric attendance, but we want the government to fix our duty timing and programme the system to account for evening and night shifts of doctors as well," said Dr Ranjeet Kumar, general secretary of the BHSA.

There is a shortage of doctors in government-run hospitals, and the condition of mandatory biometric attendance would simply increase the burden on doctors who have been already working for long hours. The doctors stated that biometric attendance is a poor measure taken by the government.

Earlier, members of the BHSA wore black badges to work between September 29 and October 5 as a mark of protest against the biometric attendance system. They also boycotted outdoor patient duty (OPD) on October 6.

Fill up vacant posts

With already having understaffed medical practitioners, the doctors are facing difficulty and demands to fill the vacant post in this regard. They said that they are currently managing their duty through a mutual arrangement with their colleagues as the workload has increased due to fewer employees.

"We also want the government to fill up all vacancies of medical practitioners, strengthen the health directorate and create more posts of director-in-chief and below, as recommended by a government high-power committee," Dr Kumar added.

Revision of specialist doctors' grade pay

In 2014, the government approved specialist doctors with postgraduate degrees, but they still did not receive the approved grade pay of Rs 6,600 per month, and instead continued to draw Rs 5,400, the same as general duty medical officers who hold MBBS degrees.

"We want the government to identify the culprit in its system who has withheld implementation of the government's decision for so long," said Dr Kumar.

Security for doctors at workplace

It is very evident for doctors to call up the issue since doctors become victims of violence most of the time. They have become subject to negligence as the government failed to protect them and no such strict law or action has been taken by the government to safeguard them from such incidents.

Demanding security for doctors at the workplace, Dr Kumar said "On an average, around 15-20 doctors are manhandled every month. We want the government to provide adequate security to us at our workplace."

Additional secretary Dr Hasrat Abbas told HT "The committee will seek time to meet health minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, the state's deputy chief minister, and additional chief secretary (health) Pratyaya Amrit, within a week to discuss the problems of doctors at their workplace. We will send him (Tejashwi Yadav) a fresh request, seeking time to discuss and work out an amicable solution to all our grievances."

Also read- Bihar Health Services Association Doctors To Stage Protest Over Mandatory Biometric Attendance