Nearly 868 junior doctors in Kerala are planning for a ‘mass resignation’ over the non-payment or deduction of salaries. They were among the Covid-19 frontline workers, who are MBBS graduates from government-run medical colleges in the state,
While 485 doctors haven’t been paid their salary for the past two months, 350 doctors get is Rs 27,000 and Rs 29,000 but they were promised Rs 42,000 a month. The government-appointed the junior doctors as Temporary Medical Officers for a three-month period to tide over the human resource crisis following the pandemic outbreak.
According to Ousam Hussain KP, state President of Kerala Junior Doctors, “For about, Rs 8,400 was deducted as a part of the government’s ‘salary challenge’ and Rs 4,200 was deducted as tax.”
In the resignation letter, the doctors said they will not be available for service after September 10 and we will go for a mass resignation.
“We haven’t heard back from the authorities but we didn’t get a positive response from any of the authorities yet. We are being forced to resign since the government is not ready to listen to our grievances. We have decided not to work after September 10 if our grievances are not settled,” said Dr Hussain.