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A sub-committee of the National Task Force, formed by the Supreme Court in response to the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, met recently to discuss better working conditions for healthcare professionals.
Key issues addressed during the meeting included enforcement of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act within medical institutions and regulation of junior doctors’ duty hours. The committee discussed the importance of establishing a 24x7 helpline for medical professionals, alongside emergency distress facilities at every medical institution. Experts proposed a significant shift in working hours, suggesting a 12-hour duty instead of the current 24-hour shifts, which often stretch to 36 hours.
They also recommended a separate duty off, distinct from the weekly off days. “We advocate six-hour workdays instead of the existing eight-hour days, with a maximum of 48 working hours per week,” said Kiran Madhala of the All India Federation of Government Doctors’ Association (AIFGDA). Dr.
Kiran, currently a professor of Anaesthesia at Gandhi Hospital, and national coordinator of medical teachers for AIFGDA, highlighted the need for reforms to ensure better work-life balance. Additional topics of discussion were provision of separate duty rooms for male and female doctors, baggage screening for everyone entering hospital premises, and the deployment of police personnel within hospitals to enhance safety. Pay-related concerns for government doctors nationwide were also raised.
The committee discussed the need for government doctors to receive pay scales equivalent to AIIMS staff, with additional compensation for those working in remote areas, along with decent pension schemes. Dr. Kiran further suggested that state health departments should recruit faculty based on the specific needs of each hospital or institution, rather than adhering strictly to the guidelines set by the National Medical Commission (NMC).
The members of the meeting were Pratima Murthy, Director of NIMHANS; Padma Srivastava (NTF member); Atul Goel, Director General of Health Services; Vandana Jain, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Sarita Beri, Director of Lady Hardinge Medical College; and G. Kausalya, Director of Rural Health Training Centre, among others. Published - September 15, 2024 07:50 pm IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit.
