Resume work, Rajasthan doctors told

The Rajasthan government on Thursday urged its striking government doctors to resume work.

Health Minister Kali Charan Saraf said the Ministry had worked on the doctors' demands so that all the 18 issues raised by them were fulfilled at the earliest.

He was apparently referring to the agreement signed between the doctors' association and the government in November.

Saraf said innocents were bearing the brunt of the doctors' adamant attitude, "which is wrong".

"Most of their demands have been fulfilled and the remaining ones have also been sent for approval."

The resident doctors are demanding the implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations with retrospective effect, from January 2016. This request had also been sent to the Finance Department for approval, the minister added.

 

Demands such as installation of CCTV cameras in medical institutions, disbursement of rural allowance to those working in rural areas and increase in the post-mortem allowance had already been fulfilled.

"Orders have been issued for providing vehicles to 10 Chief Medical and Health Officers. Also, their demand for increase in internship allowance has also been looked into," he added.

He said Rs 127 crore had been spent by the ministry. "A cell has also been formed to check the working of quacks in state."

Asked whether he would be contacting the doctors and calling them for a discussion, he said that their mobile phones were switched off. "How can we talk to them when their whereabouts is not known?"

--IANS

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