Kerala: Doctors face threat to pay, career

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Government has taken tough measures, including dismissal of probationers from service, to tackle the agitation by doctors under the Directorate of Health Services. Additional chief secretary (Health) Rajeev Sadanandan clarified in the order on Friday that keeping off duty without prior sanction would be treated as “unauthorized absence”, resulting in loss of pay and break in service. This would be taken into account for salary, promotion and transfer.

This should be immediately reported to the Service and Payroll Administrative Repository for Kerala (SPARK) system through which the  salary bills of government staff are processed.  The order reminded striking doctors of the Government’s special powers in a sector declared as “essential service”.

Doctors posted to stations on work arrangement/accommodation should be repatriated to parent institutions for unauthorized absence. In the case of assistant surgeons on probation, steps should be initiated for termination of service for unauthorized absence and not reporting for duty within 24 hours of the show-cause notice.