Uttrakhand Medical college: Junior Doctors observe indefinite strike demanding payment of full salary
Uttarakhand: Several Junior Resident Doctors and Provincial Medical Service doctors serving at Haldwani Medical College Uttarakhand are intensifying their demands for the payment of full salary. Besides, as many as 60 Junior Resident Doctors of the institution have gone on an indefinite strike in order to air their grievances.
These junior resident doctors are working as government employees while pursuing a post-graduate degree on an educational leave. However, the government is paying them half the amount of the salary while they keep serving in a government hospital.
Times of India reports that the doctors have extended their services in COVID wards as well however they are not receiving the full salary. Many of these doctors who have gone on strike are the sole person responsible for providing for their family, on the other hand, many have taken education loans and home loans and have to pay huge EMI for the same.
One of the medicos who is pursuing MD pathology in the medical college told that he has served for over a year in the rough areas of Kedarnath and after the completion of MBBS in 2015, he started working immediately yet he had to borrow money from his relatives to maintain his family.
He further added, " I have 3 years of work experience with the state government, subsequently, I took three years' leave to pursue post-graduation. Earlier I was driving a salary of 85000. So I took a home loan at an EMI of thirty 39000 per month. During the pandemic, I have even worked 24 hours a day in the medical college at just half the salary and I am the only earning member of my family." He stated that it is getting difficult for him to even maintain his home expenses and his studies and now he has to think of ways to pay off the loans, reports the daily.
The aggravated doctors claimed that the chief minister in January this year promised that the provincial medical service's medical professionals will also be entitled to a full salary but no steps have been taken yet to fulfill the promise and the declaration remained confined in papers only.
One of the doctors who is pursuing MS in ophthalmology told TOI that junior resident doctors are doing no less than the doctors of the hospital and have also extended their services day and night amidst the pandemic. The doctor informed that previously they have gone on strike and protested against the injustices while demanding full salary and in the last three years such strikes took place thrice and they called it off only after being assured by the principle that their full salary will be given. However, no progress has been made.
Another provincial medical service (PMS) doctor who is currently pursuing MS in surgery in the institution informed TOI that he had to go through the same financial crunch due to the non-payment of full salary. He further added that he has served in a state government hospital in Almora from 2014 to 2018 and then started pursuing MS in Haldwani. But even after having an experience of four years, he secured a salary between just 35000 to 4000 months which is not at par with his services.
The doctor expressed his utter disappointment in the fact that they have been discriminated against as their counterparts who are not PMS doctors and are pursuing direct post-graduation from the institution are getting the full salary. The doctor reiterated that the service that they are providing in the institution are at par with their counterparts, but there is a great discrepancy in the salary structure.
Dr. CP Bhaisoda, the principal of the college stated that "around 58 doctors are on strike currently. We are trying to speak to them will also pass on their message to the government.
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