Docs shying away from govt jobs, high attrition rate a double whammy for Punjab
Be it medical officers or specialists, Punjab’s high attrition rate has remained a big challenge as doctors are now preferring the private sector over government institutions.
Despite the tall claims by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of making a robust health infrastructure in Punjab, the state continues to struggle to attract doctors in the government sector.
Be it medical officers or specialists, the state’s high attrition rate has remained a big challenge as doctors are now preferring the private sector over government institutions.
Out of the 400 advertised posts for medical officers (MBBS doctors) recently, 304 candidates were issued appointment letters, of which 100 did not join despite the passage of the one-month joining window.
This was the biggest-ever advertisement issued for the recruitment of doctors by any government in the past 20 years. Similar is the fate of specialist doctors.
In 2023, against 634 posts of specialists advertised, a mere 271 joined and among them, nearly 80 have left the job. As many as 592 had applied for the job against the 634 posts.
The situation is so grim that nearly 40% of posts of medical doctors and 45% of specialists are lying vacant.
According to data collected by HT, in the past over 13 years, nearly 2,700 medical officers were recruited by the Punjab government. However, officials say among them over 700 have left the job during this period citing one reason or the other.
Though many doctors blame pay disparity and job conditions, the most common factor remains the lower pay being offered to newly recruited doctors in the state.
While the Punjab government offers a starting basic salary of ₹53,100 with a gross pay of nearly ₹1 lakh to new MBBS doctors, it falls short compared to neighbouring states like Haryana and Delhi, where salaries are higher and include better career progression schemes such as assured career progression (ACP).
When it comes to specialists, the salaries and perks offered in the private sector, which are double than the government sector, is the main reason behind them leaving government jobs in Punjab.
“Working in the government sector for a specialist is too chaotic. There is no security in public hospitals and on the salary front, we used to get a salary that we cannot even disclose to someone,” said Dr Manisha Maini, an MD gynaecologist from Ludhiana, who left the job last year to start her own venture.
Dr Akhil Sarin, president of the Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA), claimed that pay scale revisions and delayed promotions are the main reasons behind doctors not joining government duties.
“Doctors wait for nearly 20 years for their first promotion to senior medical officer, often close to retirement. Without the restoration of pay hikes at 4, 9, and 14 years of service, the situation will worsen,” he added.
“The previous government in 2021 closed this policy, while Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan are continuing with this policy,” he added.
Notably, the Delhi government has the best policy as they not only follow 4, 9, and 14 years rule but also give promotion at the completion of 20 years.
Former vice-chancellor of the Baba Farid University of Life Sciences Dr Raj Bahadur also blames low salary in the government sector as the main reason.
“A doctor gets ₹50,000 as basic pay and doesn’t even get government accommodation. How can one think that the doctor will stay or give his or her best. Moreover, the inclination to do postgraduation is another reason why many MBBS doctors leave their jobs in between. To attract good doctors, governments must focus on the revision of pay,” the former VC said.
Announcements to improve work conditions remain on paper only
Meanwhile, various announcements by the state government to improve work conditions and increase pay and perks remain on paper only.
Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh has floated the idea of starting “pay clinics” in which specialists will get the option to do “private practice” at government facilities in which fee charged by the doctor will be shared among specialists, supporting staff and facilities.
Another idea was floated to give specialists ₹80,000 as an additional perk and a proposal in this regard was sent to the finance department. However, all these plans remained on paper only.
“The Punjab health department is in a complete mess. A lot many things were promised to us by the health department, but the finance department had put brakes on all these plans. This is the reason why doctors are again going on a strike from January 20,” said the PCMSA president.
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