Govt. doctors take out rally, picked up by police

About 150 government doctors affiliated to the Federation of Government Doctors Associations (FOGDA) were picked up by police after they took out a “white coat rally” from the Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital, Omandurar Estate, to the statue of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on the same premises on Thursday.

The federation, which comprises the Democratic Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association, Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association, Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association and Government All Doctors Association, has been demanding review of G.O. (government order) 354 issued in 2009 relating to pay and promotions, and immediate grant of ₹3,000 allowance for medical officers of Primary Health Centres.

They are also demanding grant of standalone increment for government postgraduate doctors and to revive 1,500 posts of doctors that were reduced in a restructuring exercise and to create posts of doctors according to patient load.

Nearly 250 doctors took part in the rally to draw the attention of the Chief Minister to their long-pending demands. Those who were picked up by police were detained in a wedding hall in Triplicane and later let off.