E-Paper
UP contractual doctors get one-year extension amid workforce gap
Given the state’s gap of approximately 7,000 doctors against the 19,000 sanctioned posts, retaining doctors in contractual positions remains critical.
Over 200 doctors working on a contractual basis under chief medical officers (CMOs) across the state will receive an extension for another year.
Director general of medical health, Dr Brijesh Rathore, has issued directives to all CMOs to consider extensions if the doctors are willing to continue working and then send the updated status of vacant positions to the directorate. These doctors were originally selected via a walk-in recruitment process held in November 2023.
“According to the government order issued in June 2017 regarding the contractual posting of doctors, the period of extension can be for a maximum of one year, provided the fitness of the doctors for work and the quality of their work is deemed satisfactory,” stated the order from the DG health office.
Doctors who have completed two years, including one year of extension, will not be eligible for another extension but may reapply by participating in a walk-in recruitment process whenever it is organized, the order added.
Currently, around 200 MBBS doctors and nine specialists are working on a contractual basis across the state. Given the state’s gap of approximately 7,000 doctors against the 19,000 sanctioned posts, retaining doctors in contractual positions remains critical.
Doctors working in different cities receive varying wages based on the city’s grading. For cities in Grade A, such as Lucknow, Prayagraj, Agra, and Ghaziabad, MBBS doctors receive ₹50,000 as an honorarium, while the highest pay is for Grade D cities, at ₹65,000. Specialists in Grade A cities receive ₹80,000 as monthly honorarium, whereas those in Grade D cities earn ₹1,20,000 per month. Grade D cities, being located far from the state capital, offer higher compensation to attract professionals.
