‘Both heal patients’: SC for same treatment to Ayush, CHS doctors
The top court held that ayurvedic doctors are also entitled to the benefit of enhanced superannuation age of 65 years (raised from 60 years), at par with allopathic doctors.
The Paschim Banga Ayurved Parishad sent a letter to state chief secretary Rajiva Sinha and health secretary Vivek Kumar asking to equip them with personal protection components and extend financial benefits.
The ayurvedic doctors have been working in quarantine centres at Rajarhat, Coochbehar, Murshadabad and Purulia district.
They have also been deployed on national highways, taking temperatures in flu clinics along with their allied responsibilites which do not pertain to Ayurveda, the doctors allege.
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Presently, 244 ayurvedic doctors working at State Ayurvedic Dispensary of Ayush department under health ministry and 155 other panchayat medical officers, who are working under panchayat and rural development department are at the front line, risking their lives in Bengal’s fight against Covid-19.
Though the PBAP has sought permission from the Bengal government to implement an Ayurvedic Treatment Protocol for treating Covid – 19 patients, but until now, no such notification has been issued. Under the state ayurvedic dispensary, there are 296 approved posts, out of which 52 are vacant.
Presently, 73 contractual senior ayurvedic medical officers and 171 permanent senior ayurvedic medical officers have been working in the state.
These 73 contractual are not entitled to get the full financial benefits, allegedly and have also appealed to the state government to make them permanent employees in wake of the current situation where they have been forced to work risking their lives.
All of them work in the Ayurvedic Speciality Clinics and Wings throughout the state. Even, the 200 gram panchayat medical officers sanctioned post, 45 are vacant at present. Besides there are also 320 RBSK medical officers working under National Health Mission . In Purulia, the gram panacahat ayurvedic medical officers have been tirelessly working through the day in 15 naka check points on highways at Purulia-Jharkhand border.
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