Hyderabad: About 2,000 doctors from 17 government hospitals in the state will wear black badges from Monday to protest against several long-standing unresolved issues against the administration.
Members of the Telangana Teaching Government Doctors Association (TTGDA) state body unanimously took the decision during an online meeting on Sunday. They claim that they have brought the issue to the notice of the Director of Medical Education (DME) multiple times. They alleged that the DME is harassing those who have raised these issues.
The doctors say they have been paid partial amounts of what has been prescribed in the University Grants Commission (UGC) pay scale. They have also not received arrears owing to revised pay as per the pay revision commission for 56 months-from January 2016 to August 2020. “The hike amount is about Rs 20, 000-30,000 per month. For 56 months, it comes to around Rs 10lakh-30 lakh,” said one of the doctors.
The TTGDA also says that there have been no general transfers in the last five years due to which many people are stuck in the peripheries. While all state government employees are eligible for emergency leave encashment, they have not been given leaves nor compensated for them.
Regarding harassment by the DME, the association has alleged that DME, Dr. K. Ramesh Reddy targets people who question him by deputing them to a different city. Recently, in Nalgonda, the DME issued a memo over attendance to a faculty who had raised some issues, even though there were no issues with the faculty’s attendance.
The doctors say while there should be two DME posts — one for administration and another for academics, only one person has held the two posts since the formation of the state.
“If the DME won’t change his attitude we will step up our protest. Our fight is not against the government but against him. He is not communicating properly with the government for his own gains,” said another TTGDA member.
The doctors are also planning to meet the DME in person on Tuesday. The meeting on Sunday was attended by TTGDA president Dr Anwar, general secretary Dr. Jalagam Tirupati Rao, vice-president Dr. Kiran Madhala and treasurer Dr. Kiran Prakash.
Meanwhile, the DME said that he had not received any representation from the doctors regarding their claims. He said that the government would try to address the issues as per rules governing them.
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