Guwahati: About 2,000 doctors in the state on Tuesday held a strike crippling outpatient service (OPD) on the first day of the eight-day phase-wise strike called by the Assam Medical Service Association (AMSA).
Doctors affiliated with AMSA received support from the Branch of the Indian Medical Association.
OPD Boycott calls provided by AMSA from 8am to 11am which greatly affect health services in government hospitals, including civil hospitals and sub-division hospitals.
Later at night, the Minister of Health of Keshab Mahanta held a meeting with the Amsa delegation.
Until this report was submitted, the results of the meeting were unknown.
Payment and promotion are the main problems submitted by AMSA even when doctors threaten to intensify their agitation if the government does not pay attention to their demands.
AMSA states that they are not looking for special privileges from the government for non-stop services they offer during pandemics.
Several rounds of talk were held with the government to find solutions to their delayed old demands.
“The doctors were not promoted even though the government made an appointment to do it several times.
We want a time-scale promotion for all doctor cadres,” said Amsa Assistant Secretary General, Dr.
Mayhan Chaikia.
He made around 1,000 posts a doctor from the junior to the senior level lying empty in the state.
“The doctor’s recruitment process must be accelerated,” Saikia said.
He regretted that even after serving in the position of Director Joint and the sub-division medical officers for more than 10 years, many of the senior state doctors were not promoted.
In addition, AMSA demanded a dignified salary for senior doctors with a postgraduate degree (PG).
“Some newly appointed PG doctors are increasingly paid than senior doctors, who were appointed before with the same qualification.
This is another injustice in the health care system,” Saikia said.
Among other demands, AMSA demanded an increase for doctors who conducted PG under the University of Srimanta Sankaradeva health care.