Tamil Nadu Govt doctors announce one day strike on May 8

Madurai: Government doctors in Tamil Nadu will observe a one day strike on May 8, protesting against cancellation of reservation for in service doctors in post graduate medical admissions.

Stating this, Government Hospital Doctors association state president Senthil told reporters here that all doctors of government hospitals and Primary Health Centres would participate in the token strike.

He said doctors of PHCs (primary health centres) would agitate from May 2.

All surgeries which were not emergent or urgent would not be performed at PHCs from May 3, he said, adding doctors ate PHCs would go on leave continuously from May 10.

In-service candidates had challenged a single judge's ruling related to grant of incentive marks to government doctors serving in remote areas.

Following this Madras High court on April 28 accepted a plea for constituting a special vacation bench to hear the issue of norms to be followed for admission to PG medical courses in Tamil Nadu.

It had said the issue of incentive marks and reservation for in-service government doctors and latest rules of Medical Council of India needed to be looked into comprehensively and also suggested that the Chief Justice be requested to constitute a special bench.

As per state norms,all doctors in government medical service are eligible for one mark per year of service with a cap of 10 marks. Those employed in four notified difficult and remote or hilly areas are eligible for two marks per year of service.

But MCI rules earmarked 10 per cent of an in-service candidate's National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET-PG mark as incentive per year of service with maximum of 30 per cent.

The single judge had on April 17 upheld MCI norms that incentive marks for in-service candidates should be awarded only based on MCI's PG Medical Education Regulations 2000 and not on the basis of the prospectus issued by the state government.