Government doctors observe token fast in support of their demands

Doctors affiliated to the Federation of Government Doctors Association (FOGDA) observed a token fast in Chennai on Saturday to draw the attention of the State government to their long-pending demands, including the review of Government Order 354

Doctors affiliated to the Federation of Government Doctors Association (FOGDA) observed a token fast in Chennai on Saturday to draw the attention of the State government to their long-pending demands, including the review of Government Order 354.

FOGDA, which comprises the Democratic Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association, Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association (SDPGA), Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association and Government All Doctors Association (GADA), has been demanding review of GO 354 issued in 2009 to compress Dynamic Assured Career Progression for doctors and provide promotional opportunities. The once in five years review of the GO was due in 2017 and in 2022. The doctors were demanding compression of pay band-4 at 13 years of service.

SDPGA State president P. Saminathan said the GO 354 was reviewed in 2012 while the subsequent reviews in 2017 and 2022 were not done. The federation demanded a separate GO for postgraduate increment that was stopped in 2020. “On March 31, 2020, the State government stopped additional qualification increments for all government staff citing COVID-19. As a result, the increment was also stopped,” he added.

C. Sundaresan, State president of GADA, said the State government should reinstate the PG increment. “This increment had been brought in within the provisions of GO 293 (an order issued for granting allowances for doctors and temporarily put on hold). But we are demanding a separate GO for PG increments as was the status prior to 2020,” he said.

FOGDA demanded to post doctors on the basis of patient load and to reinstate 950 higher level posts that were slashed by GO 4(D)2 in 2019. It demanded withdrawal of GO 293 as it created discrepancies among specialists by categorising them as non-scarce and scarce specialities.

Dr. Sundaresan pointed out that the Health Minister recently assured doctors that talks would be convened in 10 days along with the Finance Minister and Finance Secretary to discuss their demands. The talks should be convened at the earliest, he said.