Doctors offer olive branch to patients in Amritsar

Manmeet Gill
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, July 14

In a respite for general public, which faced hardships, due to the protest by medical fraternity against the recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission report, the joint action committee of doctors has announced to run parallel OPDs in government hospitals.

The committee has decided that doctors would examine patients in corridors or tents and would not enter the OPDs.

Dr Madan Mohan, district chief, PCMS Association, “The committee has decided that doctors will write prescription on normal paper and not on the hospital’s OPD slip.”

The Punjab State Medical and Dental Teachers’ Association (PSMDTA), has resumed services as their meeting with the Finance Minister has been fixed.

Dr Mridu Grover, president, PSMDTA-Amritsar, said, “A delegation of medical and dental colleges held a meeting with the Finance Minister today. Second round of meeting will be held tomorrow.” She said only a symbolic protest would be held for half an hour on Thursday.

Meanwhile, employees of various wings of the Health Department and the Veterinary Department, burnt an effigy of Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal at the Civil Hospital today to protest against reduction in the NPA and other allowances.

Gagandeep Singh Dhillon, chief, Veterinary Officers Association (Amritsar), said apart from decreasing the NPA and delinking it from basic pay, many other allowances paid to paramedic staff have either been decreased or scrapped. “It will have an adverse impact on employees,” he said.

Ashok Sharma of the ESI Employees’ Federation said they would continue to support the cause and participate in the protests.

The Employees’ Welfare Association, which has been seeking regular jobs for contractual employees, has been holding the protests. Rakesh Sharma of the association said, “Employees should unite and fight the injustice.”

Docs strike work for third day in Tarn Taran

The Joint Punjab Government Coordination Committee, PCMS, homeopathic, veterinary, ayurvedic and dental doctors observed strike in the district on the third day on Wednesday. The striking doctors organised a joint rally at the local district Civil Hospital and also organised a protest march.

Dr Jaspreet Singh, president, PCMSA, Dr Pankaj from dental association, Dr Harinder of homeopathic association, Dr Sukhraj Singh Bal representing the veterinary doctors, while addressing on the occasion, called the reducing of their NPA from 25 per cent to 20 per cent as a cruel joke. They also condemned the decision to delink it from the basic pay, which will result in financial loss to doctors. The association emphasised that the genuine demands of doctors to increase the NPA to 33 per cent and to merge it with the basic pay should be accepted. Dr Karanveer Singh, Dr Surinder Bhagat, Dr GS Kalra, Dr Surinder, Dr Navpreet, Dr Ramandeep Padda, Dr Sumeet Singh, Dr Sahil Gupta, Dr Mandeep Singh, Dr Satwinder Singh, Dr Pankaj Arora were among those protesting. Other doctors’ associations and the para-medical staff organisations also joined the protest. The BDPOs in the district are on a pen-down strike for an indefinite period already.

Meanwhile, patients are finding it difficult to get treatment due to the strike at the Civil Hospital.