The Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of AIIMS has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking revision of seventh central pay panel recommendations, arguing their implementation in the current form will make government doctors move to private sector.
The recommendations, they said, have brought disappointment to the medical fraternity, as the non- practising allowance (NPA), given exclusively to doctors, has reduced from 25 to 20 per cent.
Also, earlier the basic pay and the NPA were added while calculating the house rental allowance (HRA). But this has been omitted and the HRA will be calculated only with the basic pay resulting in less salary, the RDA said in the letter.
This unacceptable move of the government will reduce the total salary of doctors not only in percentage but also in figures, the letter said.
"The government sector is already suffering from shortage of doctors, the biggest reason for which is the unattractive salary and poor career growth. Government doctors are already leaving the public health sector.
"This will burden the already ailing government health system," said Dr Vijay Gurjar, the president of AIIMS RDA.
Also, lack of incentive and poor salary structure will make the new generation of doctors reluctant to join in the government sector, he wrote in the letter.
Dr Gurjar said if the recommendations are not suitably reformed, then the target of 'health for all' possibly will never be achieved.
"We are hoping that the government restores the dignity of doctors and services provided by them by considering our demands and their speedy implementation," he said.
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