Doctors’ body prescription for well-being of healthcare staff

Hyderabad: The All-India Federation of Government Doctors’ Association (AIFGDA) has given suggestions raising issues like pay, legal aids, vacation and working strength to the National Task Force constituted by the Centre on revamping working conditions of healthcare personnel. A sub-committee meeting of NTF was held on Friday. Dr Kiran Madhala from the AIFGDA made several suggestions. He said that there should be 12-hour duty instead of 24-hour duty with a day off; call duties instead of stay if strength is less, six hours a day work instead of eight hours and a total of 48 hours a week maximum.

Regarding pay-related issues, the healthcare professionals wanted decent pay (AIIMS scales) with all allowances, decent pension schemes, and extra pay for doctors working in remote areas and some specialists who are taking high burdens, service conditions and job chart. Dr Kiran said that there was a need for a clear job chart. He wanted the Centre to amend service rules for government doctors (vacation of days in a year; allow leaves permitted), sabbatical leave after over five years of service, MLC work and causality duties by GDMOs and specialists restricted to specialty work, working strength, increase working strength and fill vacancies regularly. The faculty should be recruited as per need rather than NMC norms.

The professionals wanted legal aid. There should be one legal expert for every big government hospital. Health insurance on the lines of pvt/CGHS in State governments; avenues for skill enhancement (study leaves for pursuing management courses), uninterrupted lab services, data entry operators for documentation, centralised guidelines for work.