Guwahati: The Assam Medical Service Association (AMSA) has decided to continue its agitation as the government had failed to resolve its issues.
According to reports, the AMSA has boycotted Out Patient Department (OPD) services for three days starting from November 1 to November 3 in protest against the government.
The AMSA started its agitation on October 19 and decided to continue until the government meet its demands.
General Secretary of AMSA’s Kanak Chandra Talukdar stated that if the government does not comply with their requests, they will even take more drastic measures.
He further stated that as per Indian Public Health Standard, one doctor should be assigned to every 3000 patients, but in Assam, only one doctor is assigned to every 5000 people. In Assam, there are 4420 doctor positions available, but only 3038 have been filled. The remaining 1482 positions are unfilled, and the administration appears unconcerned about filling them.
It may be mentioned that the demands of the AMSA include cadre revision, time-scale promotion for Health (A) doctors, two advance increments to Diploma Holder of Srimanta Sankaradeva University of Health Sciences (SSUHS), pay for Health (A) doctors to be at par with the doctors of Central Government/Doctors of Health (B)/ other Northeast States, timely promotions for Health (A) doctors at all levels, increase in PG seats for Health (A) doctors, paying Health (A) doctors for evening OPD service, rent-free quarters for Health (A) doctors, security to all health service providers of Health (A) and immediate measures to fill up vacant posts of doctors.