PSMDTA condemned Ministers threatening attitude; doctors block national highways
Kanwar Inder Singh/royalpatiala.in
On a state-wide call by Punjab State Medical and Dental Teachers Association (PSMDTA), medical dental teachers and resident PCMS doctors of Government Medical and Dental Colleges in Patiala and Amritsar and Guru Gobind Singh Medical College Faridkot on Monday observed one day complete protest against Sixth Punjab Pay Commission report relating to the state government doctors which has led to a drastic cut in their salaries.
According to Dr DS Bhullar, state General Secretary of Punjab State Medical and Dental Teachers Association (PSMDTA), OPD and operation theatre services along with class room teaching of the students were kept completely suspended for the whole day in medical and dental colleges and attached hospitals in Patiala, Amritsar and Faridkot as a mark of protest.
However emergency, indoor patient and Covid services along with emergency medicolegal and post-mortem work was kept running smoothly during the protest.
Medical and Dental teachers along with resident PCMS doctors from different departments organised a massive rally in medical college premises and blocked Patiala Sangrur Highway as a symbolic protest making a strong appeal to the Chief Minister Punjab to accept their NPA demand as early as possible so that patient care and teaching of the students do not suffer further.
PSMDTA has also condemned the threatening attitude of Research and Medical Education Minister OP Soni during his meeting with the PSMDTA leaders on Saturday at Chandigarh.
Although the minister assured the association to accept the genuine demands of the medical and dental teachers but demanded one month time to resolve the issue which has been turned down by the association as it has already declared July 20 as the deadline to sort out the issue of NPA after which they will go on indefinite strike along with all other associations of the state government doctors which are on the warpath on NPA and we may even stop attending Covid duties for which the state government will be held responsible.
PSMDTA condemned Ministers threatening attitude; doctors block national highways .The government doctors are on protest for the last more than three weeks and demanding restoration of their NPA to its original form and link it with their basic pay along with restoration of all other allowances.
The Pay Commission has itself stated and clarified in its report that NPA was started by Central and State governments primarily to retain the doctors in public service and to halt the exodus of medical professionals from the country.
The other reason given was that the doctors need to be compensated for longer duration of studies and internship, because of which they usually are late entrants in Government service, said Dr. Bhullar.
July 12,2021
