Docs oppose higher pay for colleagues in Naxal areas

Chhattishgarh Government’s attempts to rope in doctors for the Jagdalpur Medical College, located in the Naxal-infested Bastar district...

Chhattishgarh Government’s attempts to rope in doctors for the Jagdalpur Medical College, located in the Naxal-infested Bastar district, have suffered a setback with doctors in other Government institutions threatening mass resignation, alleging discrimination.

More than 100 doctors at the Government-run Ambedkar Medical College Hospital have decided to submit their resignations to Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh protesting against the pay scales proposed for the doctors in Jagdalpur. Medical College Teachers’ Association president Dr R K Singh said the pay, allowances and other perks being offered to doctors at Jagdalpur were much more than their counterparts in other state-run institutions.

“If the revised pay scales are implemented it would not only amount to discrimination but would also be in violation of the principle of equal pay for equal work,” Dr Singh added.

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He said the doctors who have been in service for the last three decades were not being provided with housing facilities and their salary was also much less than what has been proposed for doctors to be appointed on contract at Jagdalpur.

“While a professor at Ambedkar Medical College Hospital gets a salary of 30,000-35,000 each month, his counterpart in Jagdalpur is being offered Rs 1 lakh per month along with free accommodation,” he added.

“Similarly, a reader is being offered Rs 60,000-70,000 at Jagdalpur, while those doing the same job at the state capital were being paid Rs 25,000,” he said, adding that there was also a wide gap in the pay scales of lecturers and demonstrators.

Government sources said the incentive of a higher pay was being offered to motivate the doctors to serve in the remote districts. “We are offering this incentive as it is the biggest medical institute, serving the entire tribal Bastar region comprising five districts. It is a well known fact that Government doctors are reluctant to serve in the rural areas forcing us to take this step,” sources added.

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Justifying the higher pay scales for doctors in Bastar, Health Minister Amar Agrawal said the Government’s effort was to employ doctors at the institute which have been facing a shortage of staff.

“We are facing a shortage of doctors and teaching staff and need people urgently. The Government is in the process of regularising the doctors who are currently working on contract. Besides a proposal is also being finalised to revise the pay scales of Government doctors,” he added.