As the strike by the Government doctors entered the seventh day on Thursday, the State administration has started tightening the screws giving out enough indication that enough is enough and it was time for the  agitating doctors to get back to work.

“If they are not reporting back before 2 pm on Thursday, we will consider their posts vacant and new doctors would be appointed against the vacancies,” said C Vijayabaskar, Tamil Nadu Minister for Health.

He disclosed that more than 10,000 doctors have applied for the vacancies which may arise if the services of the agitating doctors are terminated by the Government.

Doctors owing allegiance to the Federation of Government Doctors Association are on a path of agitation since last

Thursday demanding pay hike, 50 per cent quota in post-graduate courses among other things.

The Minister said the Government would consider the demands by the doctors. But he warned that the agitations crippling the public health services  was not proper on the part of the doctors. Vijayabaskar said quoting from Government records that a doctor joining the Government service gets a take home monthly pay of Rs 80,247/- in the first year itself.

“On the 8th year, the Tamil Nadu Government doctor draws a pay of Rs 97,900/- while doctors  with 15 years service draw a monthly pay packet of Rs 1,22, 919/-. On completion of 16 years, the doctors in Tamil Nadu service draw a monthly salary of Rs 1,35,365/- and those with 20 years experience earn Rs 1,53,027/-,” said Vijayabaskar while speaking to reporters on Thursday.

He said while 90 per cent of the Government doctors were affiliated to the Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association, only a miniscule faction was on strike .

An official in the department of health said the Federation of Government Doctors association, a new outfit,has organized the agitation only with the intention of embarrassing the government. “This is being done with political intentions,” said the official who did not want her name to be quoted.