As veterinarians across the State complete a fortnight of protest, there has been no response from the government regarding norms for private practice. They have stopped attending to cases beyond office hours after a few recent incidents that put them in the negative light.
The working hours of government veterinarians ends at 3 p.m. However, most of them attend to ailing animals beyond office hours. They are allowed to do private practice beyond office hours too.
One of the incidents that triggered protest by veterinarians under the banner of the Kerala Government Veterinary Officers’ Association (KGVOA) was the suspension of a woman officer on the grounds that she did not attend a farmer’s phone call around 7 p.m. “The officer was driving her son to hospital and was past her duty hours. She has an excellent track record of decades too,” said K.T. Mustafa, district president of the Association.
In another incident in Pathanamthitta, yet another woman officer was allegedly framed in a vigilance case by a farmer. “The case is that she took money from the farmer for the autopsy of an animal. This is when the government has allowed us to take payment for autopsy,” Mr. Mustafa added.
The KGVOA said that norms for private practice were vague and hence were easily misconstrued. “We need clear-cut guidelines as to when we could do private practice and on the fee for each service. The recent instances of farmers accusing veterinary officers of misdeeds were the result of this lack of clarity,” Mr. Mustafa said.
Veterinarians will continue their protest until the government comes up with proper guidelines, he added.
