Jaipur : In-service doctors to go on mass leave today

Jaipur: In-service government doctors have decided to go on mass leave on Monday. They are demanding increase in rural allowance, separate allowance for treatment of diseases having risk of getting infected along with 31 other demands.

There are more than 10,000 in-service government doctors posted in district hospitals, community health centres, primary health centres and even in hospitals attached to medical colleges. The hospitals attached to medical colleges will not be affected much due to mass leave of in-service government doctors as there are medical college teachers and resident doctors to take care of the patients.

“We have submitted our 33 demands to health department. A meeting was held with August 29 which ended with in inprinciple agreement. The officials sought 15 more days to act on it. But, 15 days have passed and the government has not taken action on our demand yet. So we have decided to go mass leave for one day on Monday,” said Dr Ajay Chaudhary, president, All Rajasthan In Service Doctors Association.

They pointed out that they remain exposed to threats of getting infection and also they at risk of getting exposed to radiation in hospitals. They have to provide treatment to patients suffering from highly contagious diseases. They demanded that the government should give them hazardous work allowance for it, like doctors in several other states such as Punjab are getting it.

They also demanded that they should not be forced to work under Panchayati Raj department in rural areas. Also, the demanded that there should be one shift in government hospitals. At present, they have to come to hospital in two shifts — morning and evening.