Govt doctors from Yavatmal protest ‘ill treatment’, present list of demands to district collector

The letter claimed that the Collector had “ill treated” District Health Officer Vijay Chavan, who had gone on leave. “The Collector and other revenue officials used unofficial language and give uncivilised treatment to the DHO and other government health officials. They have threatened them with action under the Epidemic Diseases Act, leading to their demoralisation,” read the letter.

It added, “Government doctors and other health department staff have been working tirelessly over the past seven months without taking leave despite 50 per cent posts being vacant. ”

“The allegation against me, that I used foul language, is wrong. In fact, our health officials have done very good work. We have to keep certain records updated as per government directives.So, we must do that at any cost and conduct performance reviews. When they came to meet me today, they didn’t even stand there for three minutes and didn’t give me any representation,” said Singh.

The doctors have presented seven demands — respectable treatment to government officials, a deadline for submitting daily reports, reserving 50 per cent beds for doctors, health officials and their families, guidance on treatment of non-Covid patients, doing away with targets for number of Covid-19 tests and tracing, Rs 50 lakh aid to Khalid Baig, a government doctor in charge of Darvha PHC, whose wife died of Covid-19 after he shifted to Darvha along with family, and full-day weekly offs on Sundays as doctors and other staffers have to take care of their families too.

The district collector, however, said, “We can fulfill some of their demands at our or divisional level… but some of them can be settled only by the state government… we will talk to them and settle their grievances.”

So far, Yavatmal has seen 8,276 Covid-19 cases, 6,966 discharges and 254 deaths, including four on Monday.