AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government on Friday termed as “illegal” the strike called by 2,000 resident doctors of six government medical colleges and threatened to invoke the Epidemic Diseases Act if they did not return to duty.
The agitating resident doctors, most of whom have recently completed their postgraduate courses, belong to government medical colleges in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Jamnagar.
At least 2,000 resident doctors of these hospitals have been on strike since Wednesday evening, mainly over the issue of bond service period and 7th Pay Commission.
In Gujarat, medical students from government colleges are required to sign a bond, which mandates that they serve for a year in rural areas after completing their studies. Doctors can break the bond by paying 40 lakh rupees.
In April this year, when Covid-19 cases were on the rise, the state government had announced that one day of COVID-19 duty would be treated as equivalent to two days of bond duty. Thus, a period of six months in COVID-19 wards will be treated as a bond period of one year.
However, in July, when the Covid-19 cases declined significantly, a new notification was issued stating that the ratio has been restored to 1:1 instead of the previous 1:2, the Junior Doctors’ Association said in a statement. Said.
Now the resident doctors have demanded that the old 1:2 day formula should be restored and salary should be sought as per the 7th Pay Commission. Agitating doctors also want the government to station them in their “mother institutions” during the bond period, rather than in remote rural areas.
Although Gujarat’s Deputy Chief Minister Nitin PatelThe man in charge of the health department rejected their demands and asked the resident doctors to return to their duties.
“Very few COVID-19 cases are being detected these days, and there is a need for a large number of doctors in rural areas. We have issued an order asking bonded doctors to join their respective duties in rural areas It is mandatory for them to serve in villages as per the terms of the bond. If they do not want to serve in villages, they will have to deposit Rs 40 lakh,” Patel said in a statement.
“This strike is illegal and to put undue pressure on the government. They are holding patients for ransom. We will not tolerate this. We will take action under Epidemic Diseases Act against these agitating doctors if they return to their duties. Don’t come after calling off your strike,” the deputy chief minister said.
The agitating resident doctors, most of whom have recently completed their postgraduate courses, belong to government medical colleges in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Jamnagar.
At least 2,000 resident doctors of these hospitals have been on strike since Wednesday evening, mainly over the issue of bond service period and 7th Pay Commission.
In Gujarat, medical students from government colleges are required to sign a bond, which mandates that they serve for a year in rural areas after completing their studies. Doctors can break the bond by paying 40 lakh rupees.
In April this year, when Covid-19 cases were on the rise, the state government had announced that one day of COVID-19 duty would be treated as equivalent to two days of bond duty. Thus, a period of six months in COVID-19 wards will be treated as a bond period of one year.
However, in July, when the Covid-19 cases declined significantly, a new notification was issued stating that the ratio has been restored to 1:1 instead of the previous 1:2, the Junior Doctors’ Association said in a statement. Said.
Now the resident doctors have demanded that the old 1:2 day formula should be restored and salary should be sought as per the 7th Pay Commission. Agitating doctors also want the government to station them in their “mother institutions” during the bond period, rather than in remote rural areas.
Although Gujarat’s Deputy Chief Minister Nitin PatelThe man in charge of the health department rejected their demands and asked the resident doctors to return to their duties.
“Very few COVID-19 cases are being detected these days, and there is a need for a large number of doctors in rural areas. We have issued an order asking bonded doctors to join their respective duties in rural areas It is mandatory for them to serve in villages as per the terms of the bond. If they do not want to serve in villages, they will have to deposit Rs 40 lakh,” Patel said in a statement.
“This strike is illegal and to put undue pressure on the government. They are holding patients for ransom. We will not tolerate this. We will take action under Epidemic Diseases Act against these agitating doctors if they return to their duties. Don’t come after calling off your strike,” the deputy chief minister said.
.