PCMS doctors stay away from specialised jobs

Manav Mander

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Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 2

Patients at the Civil Hospital had a tough time after the Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) specialists’ doctors refused to provide their specialised services. Although the doctors treated patients in the Out Patient Department (OPD) and also helped in emergency cases, they stayed away from cases that require specialised doctors.

Earlier, the PCMS Specialists’ Doctors Association went on pen-down strike on April 22 , 25 and 28.

Doctors are pressing for the fulfilment of their demands.

The specialist doctors will not provide specialised services till May 16. They will neither make fresh admissions nor issue medical fitness certificates for Amaranth Yatra during that period. However, they will attend to emergency cases and do deliveries.

The specialist doctors today sat together in the common OPD and prescribed medicines to patients as general physicians. They did not even prescribe any tests, X-rays or ECGs.

“We are doing the job of specialists but are paid salaries equal to MBBS doctors. Now, we have decided to work as MBBS doctors only,” said Dr Avinash Jindal, district president of the Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Specialists’ Doctors Association.

Savitri’s daughter, who slipped in the bathroom and had her arm broken, was given a painkiller by the doctors. She needed a plaster on her arm but the doctor, who attended to her, just gave her a painkiller.

Another patient, who needed surgery for a gall bladder condition, had to return disappointed. The doctor advised him to come to the hospital for surgery after 15 days. “I have taken one-week leave but the doctors says he will not operate upon me as they are on strike,” he said. Meanwhile, Jagdeep Singh, who had come to the Civil Hospital to get his medical examination done, also had to return disappointed. “I have to attach my medical fitness certificate along with the application form for a job. But upon reaching the Civil Hospital, I came to know that the specialist doctors are on strike,” he said.

What specialist doctors demand 

Dr Avinash Jindal, district president of the PCMS Specialists Doctors Association,  said they wanted recruitment of medical officers (general) on full pay instead of basic pay, implementation of the notification issued in April 1989 for formation of separate specialists cadre by which pay of specialists and joint director has been increased, withdrawal of recent notification by which non-practising allowance (NPA) of PCMS doctors doing postgraduation has been stopped. He said transfer and posting policy should be clearly defined and put up in the public domain and merit should be the only criteria, conveyance allowance should be given to all and conveyance allowance at 15 per cent of basic pay should be given. They also want risk allowance at 10 per cent of the basic pay, an end to interference by non-technical officers in working of PCMS officers, permission to attend one national speciality conference every year with full TA, DA, air travel registration fee and one international conference every three years with the same perks and paid leave, creation of a full-fledged human resource wing for the department with members from all specialities to formulate posting and skill-enhancement policies.