CHENNAI: Government doctors announced an indefinite strike from October 25, after the Health department failed to fulfill their demands, including the promised salary hike within six weeks. The decision was announced at a press meet by the members of the Federation of Government Doctors Association (FODGA) on Wednesday.
Dr A Ramalingam, member, FOGDA, said, “We will go on indefinite strike from October 25 as the Health Department failed to fulfill our demands within six weeks. We will boycott out-patient, in-patient services and elective surgeries. However, we will attend to fever cases as there is an ongoing epidemic.”
Health Minister C Vijayabaskar had held a meeting with the representatives of doctors on October 2 to discuss the demands. Commenting about the same, Dr Ramalingam said,” The Minister sought time from us as by-elections are scheduled. So, we will wait till October 24 and commence our strike from the next day.”
In August, while six government doctors began a hunger strike, hundreds of other doctors across the State assembled at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital campus in their support, to stage a protest to highlight their four-point charter of demands including pay hike.
Minutes after the protest intensified, the health minister called the doctors for talks at the Secretariat and assured them that their demands would be met within six weeks. After marathon talks, the doctors had withdrawn their protest temporarily. The doctors have been demanding pay hike as per G.O. 354, increase of doctors’ strength depending on the patients’ load, and also 50% reservation for government service doctors in PG medical courses.
Hunger strike
In August, six government doctors began hunger strike, hundreds of doctors across the State assembled at Rajiv Gandhi GH campus to stage a protest to highlight their 4-point charter of demands.