Newly recruited doctors in no mood to work for a ‘pittance’

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 14

A number of newly recruited doctors today remained on strike and staged a protest at the Civil Hospital demanding increase in their salaries during their probation period.

Last year, the state government had decided to give them only Rs 15,600 per month during their probation period whereas earlier, a doctor used to get nearly Rs 61,000 per month.

Because of the meagre salary and the probationary status of their job at least for three years, about 95 of the 345 medical officers recruited recently by the Health Department didn’t join their duty a few months ago.

Last year too, 104 of the 404 doctors didn’t join the office.

The January 1, 2015, notification fixed Rs 15,000 as the initial salary during the two-year probation period for MBBS doctors.

The probation period was recently extended to three years by the Punjab Government in its cabinet meeting held recently, which will be applicable to those appointed to 12,747 posts of different cadres in six departments.

After three years, they will draw full salary and allowances as admissible in the relevant service rules.

“How can we work at such a meagre salary after spending a lot of money on our study? In the last two years, the fee of medical colleges has increased five times or more whereas the salary of government doctors has decreased. Most of these doctors are posted far away from their homes. This is injustice to doctors who are given the most responsible job, including the conducting of post-mortem,” said doctor Gaurav Sharma, one of the protesters.

“The meagre salary will drive all doctors to leave the government-run hospitals. On the one hand, the government claims of promoting the health facilities, whereas on the other hand, it is killing the health services by forcing the doctors to leave government hospitals. Mere construction of buildings is not enough. More staff is the need of the hour,” Gaurav said.

“The Health Department faces a challenge of filling the posts of specialist doctors with nearly 23 per cent of them lying vacant across the state. Not a single candidate turned up at a walk-in interview for 41 posts of radiologists and 28 of psychiatrists a few months ago. Against the 111 posts of paediatrician and 49 of medicine specialists advertised by the government, only one selection was made in each category. Only seven of the total 47 posts advertised for anaesthetists could be filled up during the drive, besides six surgeons against 43 posts, seven gynaecologists against 19 posts and three orthopedics against 13 posts were selected,” added Gaurav.