Salary delays spark unrest among government doctors in Telangana

Government doctors in Telangana are protesting delayed salaries and long-pending arrears. Associations have urged the State government to resolve payment issues and reform the TVVP structure, warning that continued neglect could affect healthcare services in government hospitals.

Hyderabad: The State health department is increasingly finding itself cornered by a demoralised fraternity of government doctors, who have for the past few weeks been quite vocal with their grievances.

On one front, the senior government doctors from Telangana Government Doctors Association (TGDA) have been criticising the State government for delayed salaries. On the other hand, the Telangana Teaching Government Doctors Association (TTGDA) has been demanding urgent release of financial dues that have remained pending for years.

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With doctors being the all-vital component of the public healthcare system, the growing dissatisfaction and protests among them are now threatening to impact healthcare services across government hospitals of Telangana.

For doctors under the Telangana Vaidya Vidhan Parishad (TVVP), the issue is fundamental. Because they operate under a ‘Parishad’ or Corporation structure, they are often the last in the government system to receive their paychecks.

The TGDA has pointed out that while other government employees are paid through the treasury, TVVP doctors are left waiting for ‘grants-in-aid’, leading to chronic delays that stretch well into the following month.

The TGDA is demanding a permanent solution by transitioning from TVVP to Directorate of Secondary Health Services (DSHS). The senior doctors are insisting that a Bill to this effect must be tabled in the winter session of the assembly.

Meanwhile, senior faculty from TTGDA on Thursday confronted the State government over a massive backlog of arrears. A memorandum to this effect was submitted by members of TTGDA to the Chief Secretary on Thursday, urging urgent intervention by the State government. Despite recent government initiatives to clear financial dues, the TTGDA maintained that the reality on the ground remains unchanged for its members.

On UGC PRC arrears, the senior faculty said, “Of the 36 installments approved to clear dues dating back to 2016, only a handful have actually reached the doctors’ accounts. Significant portions of Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) credits are missing, and four installments of Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears remain unpaid”.

The lack of financial settlement is a sign of neglect toward the professionals responsible for both patient care and medical education. The department’s failure to address these issues is creating a ripple effect. When doctors are preoccupied with unpaid bills or the uncertainty of their service rules, the quality of care in government hospitals inevitably feels the strain, the doctors said.

• TVVP must transition to Directorate of Health Services
• Permanent resolution of salary delays
• Equitable distribution of the posts among the TVVP Hospitals
• Bill replacing TVVP with DHS must be tabled in winter assembly
• Release pending UGC PRC and DA arrears quickly
• Doctors received only 70 per cent of their contributory pension scheme