Doctors to start stir today against pay cut

By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 30 Aug: Doctors and nurses in the state health services have threatened to start a stir from 1 September in pursuit of their demands. To begin with, they will perform their duties for a week wearing black bands in protest against certain policies of the government. Following this protest, they have announced that they would apply for Voluntary Retirement from government services or finally go on strike after a week. If this happens, the government health services are likely to be badly affected at a time when the Corona pandemic is at its peak in the state and more than 500 fresh cases of Corona infection are getting detected every day.
Doctors have three main demands. They are unhappy with the government decision to cut a day’s salary every month for a period of one year. Sources said it would amount to a cut of more than one lakh rupees in the course of a year. They remind that the CM had declared publicly that doctors would be given to full salary in view of their selfless service in the times of Corona pandemic. He had also agreed that government officials below the rank of the DM would not be permitted to interfere in the working of the medical services in the state, but this was not happening. Doctors claimed that, in case their demands were not met, they were willing to submit collective resignations.
Director General of Health, Amita Upreti today claimed that she was holding a meeting with the office bearers of the Health Service Association and would try to get the matter resolved.