Getting Rs 343 a day, ayurvedic doctors decry pay disparity

Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, January 5

The newly recruited ayurvedic doctors are being treated no better than construction workers, if their salaries are any indicator. Their monthly pay during the probation period is Rs10,300 — a mere Rs343 a day. Even construction workers earn more than that in a day.

Ayurvedic doctors say it an “insult” to their profession. They will continue to draw a measly sum for three years of their probation period. To lend perspective to the matter, compare the pay of ayurvedic medical officers, who are gazetted officers, with that of dental and MBBS doctors. They are drawing the full pay scale of Rs75,000 every month — Rs2,500 per day — even during their probation period.

The Punjab Ayurvedic Medical Service Association (PAMSA) has demanded salary correction for ayurvedic doctors. It said ayurvedic doctors were as much a part of the health system as were other doctors.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had, in October last year, said in its judgment that all doctors working in government departments were entitled to same salary as a regular employee. The HC, however, did not specify ayurvedic doctors.

Before the HC order, the state government had, in March 2018, exempted MBBS doctors and dental medical officers from the basic pay rule during the probation period. But Ayush doctors, including ayurvedic and homoeopathic doctors, were not exempted.

Dr Sanjiv Pathak, PAMSA president, said: “There is brazen discrimination against ayurvedic medical officers. They deserve full pay scale because they share the same workload as do their counterparts in running the health system of the state. If the Centre can pay equal pay to all medical officers, why can’t the state follow the same rule?”

Ayurvedic doctors are not even getting the DC (Deputy Collector) rate or labour rate. The DC rate is around Rs13,947 per month, but ayurvedic doctors in Ferozepur, Patiala, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, and Ludhiana districts are getting only Rs10,300 per month.

A newly recruited ayurvedic doctor, who wished not to be identified, said: “This is an insult to our profession. No one can survive on Rs10,300. The government should re-think its decision and remove the pay anomaly.”

Dr Rakesh Sharma, Ayurveda Director, said, “We are following the orders of the Finance Department. So, we can’t do anything in this regard. As far as the issue of salary not being commensurate with the DC rate, I will ask officials to rectify the mistake.”

When contacted, Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said, “I am unaware of the matter, but there can’t be any pay disparity. I will get it checked immediately.”