Doctors working in the Department of Health and Family Welfare in Karnataka have threatened mass resignation on October 27.

Addressing presspersons in Mangalore on Monday, TA Veerabhadraiah, President of Karnataka Government Medical Officers’ Association, said that the doctors have been urging the Government since 2008 to resolve their demands such as disparity in wage structure between them and those working in the Department of Medical Education, and filling up of vacancies in the Health Department. But their demands are not met by the Government till now.

Essential Services Management Act

To a query what happens if the Government decides to impose ESMA (Essential Services Maintenance Act) on them, he said they are submitting mass resignations.

After submitting the resignations on October 27, they will work for a month. They will be self-relieved after that if the Government fails to take any action on their demands by then, he said, adding that ESMA will not impact them in such a situation.

The association had held meetings with the Health Minister in this regard, and he had agreed for some of their demands. However, the officials concerned did not take interest in implementing those demands, he said.

Disparity in pay structure

On the disparity in pay structure, he said a doctor who has an experience of below six years earns Rs 48,000 a month in the Health Department. However, the doctor with same experience gets Rs 76,000 a month in the Medical Education Department.

A doctor with more than 13 years of experience gets Rs 71,000 a month in the Health Department. In Medical Education Department, the doctor with that experience gets Rs 1.38 lakh a month, he said.

Doctors in Health Department are on the job 24X7 and serve in rural areas also. Whereas those serving in Medical Education Department get postings in district headquarters and have limited hours of working, Veerabhadraiah said.

Referring to the plight of district- and taluk-level medical officers, he said specialist officers are doing the work of casualty medical officers in many places, as there are vacancies of casualty medical officers.

The Health Department is facing a shortage of doctors both in general and specialist segments. Nearly 70 per cent of the posts of specialists are vacant in the State, he said.

Direct vacancy cell

The Government should set up a direct vacancy cell for the recruitments. If they are allowed to go for post-graduate studies after two years of service with appropriate terms and conditions, they will be attracted to work in the department, he said.

Though the Government is claiming that it offers Rs 28,000 a month for doctors appointed on contract basis, it is not remunerative, he said.

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