E-Paper
BJ Med College doctors go on leave, en masse
Sassoon Hospital is one of the prominent hospitals and currently is at the forefront to treat Covid-19 patients
At least 69 assistant professors and doctors who are posted at BJ Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital on a temporary basis have stopped work since Monday and taken mass leave to protest over various demands.
Their major demands include regularising them as permanent employee, implementing the 7th pay commission and giving them the status of “Covid warriors”.
Sassoon Hospital is one of the prominent hospitals and currently is at the forefront to treat Covid-19 patients and the current strike will impact treatment of such patients in various departments. Patients from across Pune district and even from outside district come here for treatment.
“For the last six months we are repeatedly demanding the implementing of 7th pay commission to assistant professors and doctors and to give us Covid warrior status as even we are tirelessly working,” said Dr Nandkumar Salunkhe, assistant professor and B J Medical College representative, Maharashtra State Medical Teachers Association.
“None of our demands were heard and so we have decided to stop work and go on mass leave from today (Monday),” said Dr Salunkhe.
“Most of our assistant professors were working in Sassoon Hospital from last few months. During the lockdown and even today our doctors are risking their own lives to treat the Covid positive patients. Still, they have not been given the Covid warrior status and we have not been made permanent employees,” he said.
“We were given false assurances, but none of them were implemented by the government. We are regularly following up with the government authorities about our demands but they are not fulfilled yet. Until our demands are not met, we will continue our strike,” he said.
Dr Murlidhar Tambe, dean, BJ Medical College and Sassoon Hospital, said, “We are in talks with the protesting assistant professors and doctors, their demands will be forwarded to the state government. We will try to normalise the situation as early as possible, there won’t be any impact on treatment at the hospital.”
