Ministry says CRZ criticism ‘baseless’

Volunteer doctors likely to be paid Rs 22,000 a month

NEW DELHI: The Health Ministry is working out a remuneration package for volunteer doctors working in tsunami-affected areas, tentatively set at Rs 22,000 per month for junior doctors and Rs 30,000 for specialists.

Since the tsunami disaster, medical relief has been short-term, with volunteer doctors working for a fortnight or a week at a time. The ministry, with the help of organisations like the Indian Medical Association , have replaced teams of doctors with new ones.

The ministry plans to move to the next phase of the medical relief, which is to set up long-term facilities in affected areas, especially in Tamil Nadu and Andaman and Nicobar islands. According to Hota, the final decision on the matter is expected next week, after the ministry evaluates requirements from the field.

‘‘We have proposed that we would be ready to send doctors for a fortnight and replace them regularly…There might be a problem sending doctors for a month or more at a stretch,’’ said Vinod Aggarwal of the IMA.