UP: Contractual dental surgeons protest termination of services

The request comes following a recent direction from the UP government instructing district magistrates and chief medical officers of adhering to the previous order passed in March 2022

The Uttar Pradesh National Health Mission Employees’ Federation has written to the state government, urging to stop the process of termination of the services of contractual dental surgeons in the state.

Contractual employees for whom the guidelines have been issued, meanwhile, have raised their concerns and urged the UP government to take appropriate measures. (Representative Image)

The federation has also appealed to the state government to reinstate the terminated surgeons at the primary health centers (PHCs) in case of no vacancy at the community health centers (CHCs) so that their families do not undergo financial crisis.

The request comes following a recent direction from the UP government instructing district magistrates and chief medical officers of adhering to the previous order passed in March 2022, of terminating services of contractual dental surgeons and replacing them with the permanent ones.

Chief medical officer (CMO) of Gautam Budh Nagar, Dr Sunil Kumar, said, “Directions have been issued by mission director, National Health Mission, Pinky Jowell, to all the district magistrates and chief medical officers to ensure that contractual dental surgeons are not working in place of the regular dental surgeons and services of such employees are terminated. Orders have been issued that legal action will be faced by the officials concerned in case of non-compliance of the issued guidelines.”

Contractual employees for whom the guidelines have been issued, meanwhile, have raised their concerns and urged the UP government to take appropriate measures so that they do not face financial crisis due to termination of their services.

In a letter written to Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister, Brajesh Pathak, who also holds the portfolio of the minister of medical education, medical and health and family welfare, the NHM Contractual Employees’ Federation has urged that efforts should be taken in the welfare of the employees and the terminated contractual dentists be reinstated at the PHCs.

UP Contractual Employees’ Federation secretary, Dr Raguvendra Pratap Singh Yadav, said, “We have requested the state government to take cognisance of the issues being faced and consider our request. Services of many contractual dental surgeons in various UP districts have already been terminated while the process is underway at other places. We have been dedicatedly performing our duties for the past 15 years and have great experience. But since our services are being ended, we will struggle to feed our families and meet our expenses now.”

Secretary Yadav added, “We request that termination should not be taken up and efforts should be taken to reinstate contractual dental surgeons in PHCs if the place is not vacant at the CHCs as the experts are capable of treating patients at the PHCs.”

According to officials, around 184 contractual dental surgeons were working across the state around two years ago, and the numbers have now reduced to around 80, under the National Health Mission (NHM).