Contract doctors sit on a hunger strike demanding regularisation of services at Kargil Chowk in Patna on Monday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Jan.7: Contract doctors today sat on a fast at Kargil Chowk demanding regularisation of their services and revision of salaries.

The general secretary of Contractual Doctors Association (CDA), Abhishek Kumar Sinha, said they are against the government’s decision to regularise services on the basis of results of the Bihar Public Service Commission exam, scheduled for February.

“We are observing a daylong fast to demand regularisation of our services. We also demand revision of our salaries. For the last three years, we didn’t have a single increment. Is it justified that contractual doctors are paid much less than regular doctors, when our working hours are same? We get Rs 27,000 per month after deducting TDS, while our salary is Rs 30,000 per month. The regular doctors are paid around Rs 1 lakh per month,” said Sinha.

He pointed out that salaries for the Ayush (Ayurveda, Unani and homeopath) doctors had been increased to Rs 28,000 per month from Rs 15,000 per month.

The government, he cautioned, should keep a tab on the Ayush doctors, who prescribe allopathic medicines to their patients.

Association member Dr Raman Kumar Singh said: “We don’t receive our salaries regularly. It is paid to us after 4-5 months.” Another member, Dr Dilip Shahi, demanded that the government pay compensation to the families of the contract doctors.

“We will organise state-wide protests if our demands are not met with. We will also support the strike of Bihar Health Services Association that will be held on January 15 and 16,” said Sinha.