The Federation of Government Doctors’ Associations (FOGDA) in Chennai has announced a two-day token hunger strike starting January 28 if their long-standing demands are not addressed. In a meeting with health and finance officials, issues like the revision of Government Order 354 on pay and promotions were discussed. Officials assured a decision soon after chief minister's approval.
Government doctors in Chennai are preparing to launch protests if their persistent demands for better pay and working conditions are ignored. Following a meeting on Monday with senior officials from the health and finance departments, the Federation of Government Doctors’ Associations (FOGDA) has given authorities one week to respond. If no satisfactory resolutions emerge, the group plans a two-day token hunger strike beginning January 28, marking the initial phase of escalating actions. In the meantime, all government doctors have been instructed to wear protest badges while continuing their duties.
The meeting included P. Senthilkumar, Additional Chief Secretary of Health and Family Welfare, and Arun Sundar Thayalan, Special Secretary in the Finance Department, alongside representatives from the doctors’ associations. FOGDA pressed for the revision of Government Order 354, issued in 2009 regarding pay and promotions, emphasizing that it has not been updated even once since 2018.
Among other grievances, the federation highlighted that nearly 4,000 Primary Health Centre doctors have been denied ₹3,000 in monthly pay under Government Order 293 and its amended version, G.O. 2. They also called for postgraduate increments to be treated as standalone benefits, the creation of new medical positions scaled to current patient volumes, and the restoration of posts cut during past restructuring efforts.
Officials indicated that decisions on these demands would be finalized and announced promptly, pending approval from the Chief Minister, Finance Minister, and Finance Secretary.
