Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Specialists Doctors Association will observe a one hour strike on Wednesday in places across the state to demand the fulfilment of various demands. The state unit has asked its district units to organise rallies and remain on strike between 11am to 12pm.
The association have been demanding the introduction of an academic allowance for specialists and a special allowance for such doctors.
Since June 2001, the state government has been giving a higher education allowance —15% of their basic pay—to doctors pursuing their post graduate degrees after May 2001. Doctors who completed their PG degrees before the said date were given an allowance on par with those without the PG degrees.
PCMS district president Dr Avinash Jindal said, 'The government has been putting off the fulfilment of our demands."
Additionally, the association has been opposing 10-year bond made mandatory by the government for doctors at government hospitals. A doctor who decides to leave his service in between must pay `50 lakh.
"The government must not treat the doctors as slaves.
A doctor who has to leave his service in between due to various circumstances finds difficult because of hefty fine. Government should instead focus on giving more facilities to government doctors. Due to these mandatory terms of the state government, young doctors are reluctant to join government hospitals, which now face staff crunch. Terms of service must, therefore, be relaxed."
{{/usCountry}}A doctor who has to leave his service in between due to various circumstances finds difficult because of hefty fine. Government should instead focus on giving more facilities to government doctors. Due to these mandatory terms of the state government, young doctors are reluctant to join government hospitals, which now face staff crunch. Terms of service must, therefore, be relaxed."
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