On Wednesday, eighteen junior doctors who are working as the frontline warriors for managing the COVID-19 pandemic had approached the Kerala High Court for seeking a directive to the government to pay the salary along with arrears immediately.

The petitioners had sought a directive to make sure that the service conditions such as designation, salary, off day/ quarantine, duty time, leave and holidays are granted to other doctors in the service of the state government immediately. The petition had been filed by TS Krishna Priya and others.

As per the petitioners, the government has fixed a compensation of Rs 42,000 to the junior doctors, and till date, not a penny has been paid to them. They are offering services by spending money from their pockets.

The unlawfulness and discrimination faced by the petitioners are not only limited to the payment of their wages. The combined payment fixed by the Government is not in par with the similarly footed persons receiving under the National Rural Health Mission, National Health Mission and State service. In spite of the fact that the service conditions of the petitioners are supposed to be communicated as per the decision by the Government, till now there are no orders issued by the state to set down the service conditions. The petition said that this has caused grave illegality.

The petitioners are working without any service rules and conditions. Also, no designation has been given yet to the petitioners. All the petitioners have successfully completed their internship that was mandatory before getting registered as a Certified Medical Practitioner. The petitioners are still called as interns and regardless of the fact that after the granting registration, they are qualified to practise medicine.

Source: The New Indian Express