NEW DELHI: The controversy between the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) refuses to die down. The Ministry has objected to AIIMS Director P. Venugopal's directions for condoning or adjusting the loss of 17 days during the strike period of junior and senior doctors for fulfilment of their academic requirement.

Sources in the Ministry point out that the Director has no authority to issue such an order without consulting the Institute's academic committee as there is no provision for condoning the break in academic session for the doctors pursuing postgraduation courses. The latest order says that the loss of 17 days should be adjusted against leave or extra hours of duty or even condoned in certain cases, sources at AIIMS said. However, the directions make no mention of the payment of salary as the matter is sub-judice.

The doctors were on strike from May 15 to 31 to protest the Government's policy of introducing 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the institutes of higher education. The Health Ministry had ordered stopping of salary of the doctors who went on strike on `no work no pay basis' following which the medicos approached the Supreme Court.

As per the rules, there are only two options, either the doctors have to repeat their posting for 17 days by extending their registration period by this time for completion from their original date of schedule for fulfilment of academic requirement or their period may be adjusted against the leave due to them against these days. If leave is not due to them, the registration has to be extended for the same.

The Academic Section (Postgraduation) of AIIMS has, however, drawn the attention of the Director to the fact the resident doctors were under a contract job for a given period, besides pursuing postgraduate courses in different disciplines.

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