Date:24/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/24/stories/2008032456730100.htm

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Homoeo, ayurvedic doctors restive

Staff Reporter

Threaten strike from March 28 midnight

BHUBANESWAR: Even as junior doctors’ strike entered the fifth day on Sunday, the health sector in Orissa appeared to be set for an upheaval following indefinite strike plans announced by doctors of homoeopathy and ayurvedic and veterinary doctors as well as staff nurses.

Doctors and veterinarians demanded their salaries also be fixed on a par with allopathic doctors, whose payscales were recently hiked from to Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 13,500. Homoeopathy and ayurvedic doctors vowed to strike work from the midnight of March 28 while veterinarians put the State government on a week’s notice to address their concerns otherwise they would resort to indefinite strike from April 1. They said their crucial services during the recent cholera outbreak were overlooked by the State government.

In a related development, the Orissa Nursing Employees Association announced its decision to go on mass strike from March 27. Earlier addressing a press conference, Orissa Veterinary Association (OVA) president Ramakanta Mohapatra said the State government recently extended the 5th Pay Commission recommended to medical officers. “When the same commission emphasised on equal pay for both the disciplines and almost all the States have adhered to the norm, the State government has not implemented the recommendations in spite of several appeals by the association,” Mr. Mohapatra said.

Critical role

Describing the critical role being played by vets, OVA General Secretary Muktikanta Bhuyan warned, “The veterinarians would not only withdraw from the bird flu monitoring and prevention activities and stop producing vaccines but also paralyse hospital operations if government does not act on demands by the deadline.” OVA has a strength of 1104 vets who claim to be responsible for controlling diseases communicable to man from animal and birds and vice versa like anthrax, bird flu, brucellosis and rabies.

Moreover, they threatened to halt vaccine production at the Orissa Biological Products Limited. The spate of threats came following Naveen Patnaik government’s succumbing to the mass resignation threat made by the Orissa Medical Services Association (OMSA).