E-Paper
Retirement age issue: Govt doctors flay proposed raising of age bar in U.P.
They say that instead of raising the retirement age, promotions should be given wherever, whenever due
Government doctors have made a representation to director-general medical and health (DGMH), flaying the proposed raising of retirement age from the present 62 years to 65 years, to meet the shortage of doctors.
DGMH Dr Lilly Singh was recently directed by the special secretary, to prepare a proposal for raising the retirement age of doctors in government service in the state.
“The proposal is based on the assumption that due to retirement of senior doctors there is scarcity (of senior doctors) to work as faculty members for PG courses running in government hospitals. The fact is the scarcity is due to delay in promotion of doctors at level one and two. Only timely promotion can solve the issue not by increasing retirement age,” read the letter from Provincial Medical Service Association (PMSA), the body of government doctors, to the DGMH, written on Friday.
Doctors blamed the new service policy introduced in December 2020 led to this situation. “There are 3,620 posts of doctors at level one and there are 5,904 already working at this level. If due promotions are done at level one, we will have 916 vacancies at level one and new appointments can be made. Similar issues are there at different levels in the cadre,” said Dr Sachin Vaish, president, PMSA and Dr Amit Singh, general secretary, PMSA, in the letter.
In the letter, the doctors said that instead of simply raising retirement age, it would be appropriate to give due promotions and avoid transfer of doctors who are engaged as faculty members in PG medical courses running at government hospitals.
Giving examples, doctors said there are about 3,000 doctors at level one who are eligible for promotion to level two or even three as their total service period is more than six and up to 10 years. If they get promotion, more doctors can join at this level.
At level three where there are 5,199 posts, the number of doctors working is just 2,334. This is the most significant level where doctors are assigned the work of community health centres, TB elimination, routine immunisation at the district or grassroot levels. But the new service policy has stalled the promotion at this level and the result is scarcity at higher levels too, read the letter.
Finding DGs: Health dept has work cut out
LUCKNOW: Health department has to select three new director-generals, on the posts of DG medical health, DG family welfare and DG training but the choice is limited.
Those on the posts will retire by July. For departmental promotion, a minimum five candidates are required but just three would be eligible as per the rules that say at least one year of experience is necessary on the post of director in any of the sections of the health department and the candidate should have at least one year of service left.
There are 19 doctors on the post of directors at present but many among them will retire within one year from now. The selection for DG’s post which is obtained by a doctor working at level seven will be tough as there is just one doctor at level seven at present. This doctor will retire in December this year hence cannot be included as a candidate for DG post.
Among probable candidates there is just one while two others doctors, with more than one year of service period (remaining), are likely to be promoted soon.
