Ayush doctors relieved of control room duties

CHANDIGARH: The Ayush (ayurveda, siddha, unani and homoeopathy) doctors have been relieved of control room duties as tele-callers since they had objected to being assigned the desk role.

They were assigned to Jalandhar’s control room on a rotational basis, while the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) Employees’ Association had demanded an active role for them and claimed that tele-caller’s assignment was against the service rules of the Ayush doctors. The association had sent a delegation to health minister Dr Balbir Singh in Chandigarh on Monday.

On May 12, the district ayurvedic and unani officer wrote to the civil surgeon for the cancellation of control room duties to let these doctors focus on their short-staffed dispensaries and meet their check-up targets. Jalandhar civil surgeon Dr Raman Sharma said: “They were assigned to the control room on a rotational basis and only for a few days in a month. Let them meet their targets. We will assess them again.”

Messaging the control room’s WhatApp group to thank the Ayush doctors for support, he posted: “Since it has been brought to our notice that the RBSK/Ayush doctors are unable to meet their targets, we advise them to re-join their original posts and work towards their goals.”

NRHM Employees’ Association state president Dr Inderjeet Singh Rana, who is also national president of Ayushman India, lauded Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh for redressing the grievance promptly and promised him that the relieved doctors would deliver quality health service.

The association also requested the health minister to redress their long-pending issue of regularisation of service and direct placement in various cadres. Until regularisation, the Ayush doctors want compensation equivalent to that of permanent employees. They also want a salary hike of at least 30%, since the NHM employees don’t get any benefit of the pay commission.


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