The 140 protesting doctors of Government Ayurvedic College and Hospital (GACH) who had suddenly stopped work and staged dharna on Wednesday continued the protest on Thursday as well. They are demanding four months outstanding stipend, increase of `10,000 per month in the stipend as offered to the other resident doctors and not marking leave for doctors who have tested corona positive. The doctors spend the entire night in the porch of GACH.
The president of GACH PG Association Dr Sumit Marathe has alleged that, “When GACH doctors are providing services to Covid-19 patients like their MBBS counter parts, so why there is bias and the administration is not paying attention to their demands.”
Marathe further alleged that when the students are performing Covid duties, then why nobody is bothered about their stipend? He said that they met district collector Ravindra Thakare with their demands. The delegation comprised Dr Marathe, Dr Abhijit Aher, Dr Mayur Balpande, Dr Nikita Gupta and Dr Shraddha Masarkar.
Dr Marathe said that the students of first year and 3rd year degree course should be allowed time to study, as due to corona pandemic, lectures could not be conducted and hence the students suffered huge academic loss. Most of them could not even submit their thesis. Meanwhile, the examinations for the PG students of 1st and 3rd year are due anytime. These students should be exempted from Coivd-19 duty and they should be given time for studies, he added.
Testing services affected
Due to the sudden stoppage of work by ayurvedic college doctors the corona work got affected. Around 40 ayurvedic doctors were functioning at 35 testing centers of NMC and 81 doctors were providing services Mayo, GMCH and Shalinitai Meghe were also affected.
Stipend proposal with government
The stipend issue of the students for the month of June, July, August has been sent to government. The students who are not at college nor in the Covid-19 duty are being marked absent as per the rules. The 1st year and 3rd year student exams would be held in the month of January and they are given study leave 45 days before examination said, the dean of Government Ayurvedic College & Hospital, Dr Subhash Raut.