Resident doctors treating COVID-19 patients to get Rs 1.21 lakh incentive in Maharashtra

Mumbai : Maharashtra government on Saturday announced an incentive of Rs 1.21 lakh to all resident doctors who have been treating COVID-19 patients in all government and municipal medical colleges. A government order has been issued for the same.

The move from the state government comes days after the protesting Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) had met chief minister Uddhav Thackeray regarding their demands.

During the meeting, the chief minister had assured them of a special incentive in appreciation of their work during the pandemic, but had made it clear that it was not technically possible to waive their academic fees, which was their main demand.

According to a report by India.com, around 4000 resident doctors in Maharashtra had gone on strike with various demands, including waiving off academic fees for the year. They claimed that no class was held during the pandemic and they were pressed into services so the fees should be waived off.

Moreover, the association had also asked that hostel conditions to be improved in government medical college hospitals and that TDS (tax deduction at source) not be deducted from the stipends of resident doctors in hospitals under BMC.