BANGALORE: Agitating Karnataka Government doctors called off their stir unconditionally on Wednesday following talks with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Speaking to reporters after two-hour-long talks with representatives of the State Government Doctors Association, Siddaramaiah announced that the doctors had agreed to withdraw their stir and resume work.
Those doctors who had resigned in the past two days would return to duty, he said.
Stating that the state government had gone through all the demands, he said most of them, including filling up of vacant posts, release of salaries within the first week of every month and creation of district surgeon posts in all the teaching hospitals, had been accepted.
“Of the 14 demands, we have rejected a plea to count the service of doctors on contract for fixation of pay upon their regular appointment with the department,” Siddaramaiah said.
About bringing parity of pay between doctors working in teaching hospitals and the Department of Health Services, he said it was agreed to follow the pattern being adopted in the neighbouring states.
Rejecting the doctors’ plea for a merger of teaching hospitals with the department, he said that it could not be done now as it involved both technical and legal issues and needed to be discussed.
On the demand for creating the posts of chief medical officers in each taluk and district hospital, he said that the issue needed to be discussed further.
The other demands that the government accepted include putting in place a medical manual, continuing the programme implementation posts and supplying medicines to PHCs (primary health centres) on need basis.
He said that the association members had agreed not to resort to suspension of services in the future, and resolve all the issues through negotiations only.