Imphal, April 13 2010: Keeping aside an advice of the health minister, Ph Parijat, it is learnt that commissioner (health) is preparing pay structure of AYUSH doctors different with that of allopathic doctors working in the same department under same rank.

The source said, commissioner (health and family welfare) who is also the mission director of the National Rural Health Mission is preparing pay structure of the AYUSH doctors who were appointed under the mission implementing by the state health and family welfare department with that of allopathic doctors appointed under the same scheme.

The preparation of different pay structure of the two medical officers of same rank is against the advice of the health and family welfare minister who instructed to put them under same pay bands, an official source maintained.

AYUSH doctors appointed under the NRHM have been enjoying the same pay with that of allopathic doctors.

The funds required for payment of their salaries were provided by the union ministry of health through the state government.

The different in the pay amount is made in the proposal to be furnished to the Union ministry of health by the state government, the highly place source said.

The source further said that state health and family welfare minister, Ph Parijat had instructed the commissioner (health and family welfare) to calculate the amount on the same scale for both the categories of doctors under the revised sixth pay structure of the Sixth Pay Commission.

However, the commissioner is reportedly learnt that without taking into account to the guidelines of the Centre and keeping behind the instruction of the health minister, furnished the different pay structure of the two medical officer to the Union ministry of health by preparing a programme implementation project (PIP).

Health minister was not consulted on the matter, the source added.

In the proposal of the commissioner, it was reportedly made to pay Rs 15,000 as basic pay with additional performance base honourarium of Rs 15,000 totaling to Rs 30,000 per month for the aliphatic medical officers while Rs 18,750 including Rs 8,000 basic and Rs 10,760 performance based honourarium to the AYUSH officers.

Since the start of implementation of NHRM in the state from March 25, 2006, the two categories of doctors working in the AYUSH and Allopathic were getting same pay structures of Rs 15,000 per month.

They were also sending to places where there is no doctor in government healthcare centres according to necessity.

A general body of the mission is scheduled to hold on April 15 to take a decision on the PIP proposal furnished by the commissioner under the chair of the Chief Minister, O Ibobi who is also the chairman of the state NHRM society.

Prior to the general meeting, All Manipur AYUSH Doctors' Association submitted a memorandum to the chairman of the mission.

A leader of the association when contacted said that if their plea for equivalent pay structures is not heard by the chairman, they may resort to take up their own course of protest.

It is pertinent to mention that a total of 89 AYUSH doctors are working the NHRM including 34 doctors appointed in the first phase of the mission in 2006.A total of 40 doctors were recruited in the second phase in 2008 while another 15 were appointed in 2009 .

Among them only one is specialist.

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