The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : 4 more doctors join hunger strike in A.P.

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Tuesday, Apr 08, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

4 more doctors join hunger strike in A.P.

HYDERABAD: Four more doctors on Monday joined the indefinite hunger-strike camp being organised in the office premises of the Directorate of Health and Medical Services, Koti, by the AP Government Doctors’ Association demanding CGHS scales. Already four doctors — B .R. Ambedkar, Sadhu Satyanand, K. Rama Rao and Shankar — are on fast.

This development of doctors — Veeresham, K. Dayanand, Mohd. Yakoob Pasha and Venkatesh — joining the camp on Monday comes on the eve of official talks on April 8 involving three Ministers looking after various aspects of the Health portfolio. Finance Minister K. Rosaiah, besides top officials of the department such as the Principal Secretary and secretary will join them.

According to sources in the government, the Ministers and officials will discuss the financial implications of the demand of paying CGHS scales, which was pending since two years. The sources told The Hindu that the administration may consider increasing the government doctors’ salary in the form of allowances — such as those paid in tribal areas (Rs.10,000) and rural areas (Rs.8,000), to ward off similar demands from other sections of doctors. It may be recalled that the Task Force constituted by the State government had given in to the persistent demand of doctors by agreeing to pay UGC scales to the teaching staff of medical/dental colleges so as to prevent migration of doctors to private institutions.

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