Doctors demand Rs 1 crore relief for Covid victim's kin

The Legal Coordination Committee for government doctors presented their demands, including pay-hike, to Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Friday and said the government should increase the compensation amount from Rs 50 lakh to Rs one crore for doctors who died of COVID. If the demands are not met by next week, they will stage a protest on January 19.

“We lost nine doctors to the pandemic. While the government assured Rs 50 lakh as well as government job for a family member commiserating their qualification, these were not yet granted to those families. We urge the government to provide monthly salaries to their families till the period of superannuation,” said Dr S Perumal Pillai, president of the Legal Coordination Committee for government doctors.

As the number of students is increasing in government medical colleges, the association has also demanded 20 to 30 per cent additional teaching faculties. In August 2019, the MBBS students’ strength went up to 250 from 150 in the Physiology department at Madurai Medical College.

Also, two years of rural service (DPH/DMS) is must for all promotions, and those who were promoted without it should be posted accordingly.