After a protest by 29 Ayush doctors in Madurai who said they were removed from their jobs via a text message on June 2, the state government reinstated them on June 4. The 29 Ayush doctors were appointed at the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) and Government Hospital for Thoracic Medicine (GHTM) in Madurai for COVID-19 duty last year on a one-year contract. The doctors had been treating COVID-19 patients for the last 11 months.
The temporarily appointed Ayush doctors had been assisting the postgraduate doctors for oxygen management for COVID-19 patients. However, the doctors claimed that they were replaced by modern medicine doctors who were doing the same job.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday morning the doctors staged a protest, alleging that they have been asked to not come to work as the contract had expired. The doctors further alleged that they were removed without any prior notification and were sent a text message on Wednesday morning.
Addressing mediapersons in Madurai on Thursday, Minister for Commercial Taxes and Registration P Moorthy said, “The doctors seem to have been removed because the contract had expired. But after the discussion with the officials such as the district collector, we have reinstated their positions right away.”
“We were not given any prior intimation. We were told to not come to work over a text message. The state government assured that frontline workers will not be terminated from their jobs during the ongoing pandemic. Hence such a move had caused fear and uncertainty,” said one of the Ayush doctors. “However, we are grateful that the demands have been immediately met and we were given our jobs back,” the doctor added.