Patients turning up at state-run hospitals in the district were forced to return without treatment on Friday as doctors participated in a statewide day-long strike against the recommendation of the sixth pay commission to de-link non-practising allowance (NPA) from basic pay.
On the call of the Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Association, several services such as outpatient departments (OPDs), inpatient departments (IPDs), unique IDs for persons with disabilities (UDID), Ayushman Bharat - Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana (AB-SSBY), and elective surgeries remained suspended as around 400 doctors employed at the civil hospitals in Ludhiana, Khanna and Jagraon, and 10 community health centres boycotted work. Government-run dispensaries remained closed as well.
At Ludhiana’s civil hospital, members of the Joint Punjab Government Doctors Coordination Committee, comprising general physicians, specialists, rural medical officers, homeopaths, and ayurveda specialists, staged a protest and raised slogans against the government.
Patients left high and dry
Patients unaware of the doctors’ strike turned up at different hospitals, only to be left high and dry. One such patient, Puja Rana of Field Gunj, who was visiting the dermatology department of the Civil Hospital, said she was asked to return on Monday.
A migrant worker, Durgesh Kumar, who had come to the Civil Hospital from Guru Arjan Dev Nagar near Samrala Chowk, complained of an acute stomach ache, but with OPD services suspended received no prescription for his pain. The disgruntled patient said, “I work at a factory and cannot take leave time and again. Why should poor patients pay the price for the government’s decision? They should deny treatment to government officials instead!”
{{/usCountry}}A migrant worker, Durgesh Kumar, who had come to the Civil Hospital from Guru Arjan Dev Nagar near Samrala Chowk, complained of an acute stomach ache, but with OPD services suspended received no prescription for his pain. The disgruntled patient said, “I work at a factory and cannot take leave time and again. Why should poor patients pay the price for the government’s decision? They should deny treatment to government officials instead!”
{{/usCountry}}Dr Rohit Rampal, who was leading the protests in the district, said, “At a time, when doctors are expecting their allowances to be supplemented for bravely battling the deadly coronavirus pandemic, the government has decided to reduce our salaries.”
“NPA comprised 25% of our basic salary. However, the sixth pay commission, which ironically aims to better our pay scale, has reduced the component to 20% of our basic salary and has de-linked NPA from basic salary,” he said.
Widespread resentment against govt: Doctor
Another member of the PCMS Association Dr Avinash Jindal said, “There is huge resentment against the government’s policies in the health sector. The clerical staff of the health department is already on strike, while employees of the revenue and transport departments are also on protest path against the government.”
“We were hoping that the government would honour us for our service during the pandemic. However, far from offering incentives, the government has deducted our salaries,” Jindal said.
Rural Medical Services Association president Dr JP Singh Narula said 592 rural dispensaries had remained closed across the state. “With the issue of dynamic assured career progression (DACP) still pending with the government, the decision to de-link NPA from the basic salary has broken the back of health service providers.”
The association’s office-bearers, including joint secretary Rohit Sharma and vice president Ashwani Singh, have handed memorandums to the deputy commissioners of each district of the state.