The Ayush medical officers working in Rashtria Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) in Telangana have expressed their displeasure over the alleged discrimination of pay packages between the Ayush and MBBS doctors by the government.

According to Dr. Rameshbabu Boini, president of Telangana RBSK Employees Association, as against a proposed recruitment of 300 Ayush and 300 MBBS medical doctors to serve rural people in tribal areas under the RBSK project, the state government had recruited 450 Ayush and 100 MBBS doctors as medical officers. However, the state government is paying Rs. 33,000 to the medical doctors with MBBS degrees, while those with Ayush profession are paid only Rs. 22,000.  

“Both the Ayush doctors and MBBS doctors are providing same service of screening a set of health conditions known as 4Ds, which includes diagnosing the children suffering with deficiencies, disability and developmental delays. During the year 2017-18, we have identified and evaluated about 86,110 students who require the medical and surgical interventions. Despite inadequate facilities, we are rendering our services during the past 3 years at rural and tribal hamlets,” informed Dr. Boini.

The RBSK project is successfully being run across the state and is covering almost half of the children in the state. The total cost of the project is being borne by both the state and central government at 40:60 ratios respectively.

Already the Ayush doctors are facing discrimination, for getting less pay when compared to their MBBS counterparts.  But, what has further irked the Ayush doctors is the recent proposal by the state government sent to centre which has quoted the expected salaries for the Ayush doctors to be below Rs. 30,000, as against the actual revision pay scale in accordance with the 10th PRC.  “As per the 10th Pay Revision Commission the salaries of MBBS doctors would be enhanced up to Rs. 40,270 and Rs. 37, 1000 for Ayush doctors respectively. But the state government is said to have sent proposals to pay below Rs. 30,000 to the Ayush doctors and this kind of discrimination is not accepted to us,” informed Dr Boini.

Even after many representations to the state government on several occasions, the plight of Ayush doctors is left unheard and they feel they are continuously being deprived of their rightful payment as equal to that of the MBBS doctors.