JOIN USIn an attempt to convince Health Minister U T Khader that their condition was no better than that of Group ‘D’ employees, Ayurvedic, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (Ayush) doctors under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) staged a protest in front of his residence with brooms.
As a mark of protest, the Ayush doctors swept the area around Khader’s residence on Thursday. The protest came after their meeting with the minister on Wednesday proved to be fruitless and he said that there would be no hike in their salaries. “We had to take this step to make him understand that our living conditions are no better than that of a Group ‘D’ worker,” said Madhukar, secretary, NRHM Karnataka Ayush Doctors’ Association.
Khader met the protesting doctors again on Thursday and said that the State had already sent a recommendation to the Centre to hike the salaries to Rs 28,000 which the Centre has refused to consider. “We were told that a hike up to Rs 25,000 could be made. Rhe condition that we had put forth yesterday, about them having to be reappointed after the present contract comes to an end, still holds good,” he added.