Junior doctors on COVID duty move Kerala HC seeking disbursement of salaries

Kochi (Kerala) [India], Aug 20 : A group of eighteen junior doctors working on special duty to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in Kerala has moved the High Court seeking directions to the state government to immediately disburse their salaries along with arrears.
The petition, filed by TS Krishna Priya and others, also sought a direction to ensure service conditions such as designation, salary, duty time, off day/ quarantine, leave, and holidays as granted to other doctors in the service of the state government forthwith.
According to the petition, even though the government has fixed a pay of Rs 42,000 to the junior doctors, not a penny has been disbursed to them till date and they are rendering their duty by spending money from their own pockets.
"The illegality and discrimination that are being faced by the petitioners are not merely limited to the payment of remuneration. The consolidated payment fixed by the government is no way in par with what the similarly footed persons receive under the National Health Mission, National Rural Health Mission, and state service," the plea filed on Wednesday said.
"Despite the fact that the service conditions of the petitioners would be communicated as decided by the government, till the date no orders have been issued by the state to lay down the service conditions. This causes grave illegality," it added.
The plea said that the doctors are employed without any service rules or conditions and in addition to that, no designation has been given to the petitioners.
The petitioners have successfully completed their internship which was mandatory before getting registered for working as a certified medical practitioner, the plea said adding that the doctors are still being called interns and irrespective of the fact that after the awarding of registration, they are doctors qualified to practice medicine.