Karnataka: Contractual Doctors Threaten Mass Resignation Over Pay Disparity

Bengaluru: At least 507 doctors, working on contract under the Karnataka health and family welfare department, on Wednesday threatened to resign over delay in regularisation of services and pay disparity, The Hindu reported.

While regularised doctors get a starting monthly salary of Rs 80,000, they are getting only Rs 45,000. Incidentally, new contract staff who have been recruited after the onset of the pandemic are getting Rs 60,000 a month.

However, they will continue to serve patients amid the current COVID-19 situation.

The Hindu further reported that Contract Doctors’ Association of Karnataka (CDAK) members across districts in the state will reach Bengaluru to jointly submit their resignations to chief minister BS Yediyurappa and health minister B Sriramulu.

These doctors claim absorption of those appointed on a contract basis to government service has not taken place, though legally mandated. Reportedly, the move to resign came after repeated petitions by the association to the CM and the home minister failed to elicit any response.

These contractual doctors are usually appointed in primary health centres. In the wake of the pandemic, they have been deputed to district hospitals. Another doctor was quoted as saying that, more than 2,000 doctors from 2002 to 2016 have been regularised, but there has been no such recent regularisation by the health department.