UP government to hire doctors via walk-in-interviews
Facing criticism over the deaths of children in government hospitals and shortage of doctors there, Uttar Pradesh government has decided to fill up 7,000 vacant posts of government doctors through walk-in- interviews.
Facing criticism over the deaths of children in government hospitals and shortage of doctors there, Uttar Pradesh government has decided to fill up 7,000 vacant posts of government doctors through walk-in- interviews, extension in service of retired doctors and recruitment through the UP Public Service Commission.
Terming the decision an ad hoc effort, the Provincial Medical Services Association (PMSA) has urged the state government to prepare a long-term plan to fill vacancies and improve health services in government hospitals.
Director general, Medical Health, Dr Padmakar Singh told HT 11,034 government doctors were working against 18,382 sanctioned posts. The medical and health department has sent a proposal for the recruitment of 5,640 doctors to the UP Public Service Commission. The department has decided to recruit 1,000 doctors through walk-in-interviews and re-employ 1,000 retired government doctors for one year.
To motivate the doctors, the state government has decided to pay a higher salary to those posted in the remote districts.
The state government has divided 75 districts into four categories: A, B, C and D. The A category districts are: Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Agra, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Meerut, Aligarh, Gorakhpur, Barabanki, Sitapur, Bareilly, Rae Bareli, Moradabad and Unnao.
The MBBS doctors appointed through walk-in-interviews will be given Rs 50,000 and specialists Rs 80,000 per month in these districts.
The B category districts include Faizabad, Hardoi, Muzaffarnagar, Basti, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Sultanpur, Mau, Ballia, Deoria, Kanpur Dehat, Firozabad, Hathras, Mathura, Bijnor, Saharanpur, Baghpat, Bulandshahar, Hapur, Ambedkar Nagar, Pratapgarh, Jhansi, Shahjahanpur, Gonda, Farrukhabad, Rampur, Etawah, Fatehpur and Pilibhit.
The MBBS doctors will be paid Rs 55,000 and specialists Rs 90,000 in these districts.
The C category districts are: Etah, Kasganj, Kaushambi, Badaun, Bahraich, Sant Kabir Nagar, Kannauj, Lakhimpur Kheri, Ghazipur, Mainpuri, Sambhal, Amroha, Shamli, Auraiya, Jalaun, Mirzapur, Banda, Bhadohi and Amethi. In these, MBBS doctors will be paid Rs 60,000 whereas specialists will get Rs 1 lakh per month.
The D category districts include Sonbhadra, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Lalitpur, Chitrakoot, Balrampur, Shravasti, Siddharthnagar, Chandauli, Maharajganj and Kushinagar. The MBBS doctors will get Rs 65,000 and specialists Rs 1.20 lakh in these districts.
Expressing reservation over the new recruitment policy, PMSA president Dr Ashok Yadav said it will create dissatisfaction among the government doctors. The doctors appointed on contract will get a higher salary than the permanent doctors. The contractual doctors will have no responsibility, he said. Rather than acting in an ad hoc manner, the state government should mull over why 7,000 posts are lying vacant and why the Provincial Medical Services (PMS) fails to attract the fresh MBBS doctors, he suggested.
The state government should understand that due to competition with the private sector, it is necessary to make the PMS attractive with better salary, perks, working condition and facilities, he said.
The community health centres and primary health centres located in the rural areas have no residential facilities.
The doctors willing to serve in rural areas should get extra allowance and increment, he said.
A delegation of PMSA had handed over a memorandum to chief minister Yogi Adityanath on June 28, drawing his attention to the problems faced by government doctors.
“We have also suggested measures to make the PMS attractive and ensure that doctors get job satisfaction. The doctors who wish to bid adieu to government services should be given voluntary retirement and fresh recruitment should be done to fill the vacant posts. A policy should be drafted for treatment of patients at health centers and district hospitals,” Yadav said.
Meanwhile, chief secretary Rajive Kumar on Friday said the state government will give incentives and training to MBBS doctors posted in the rural areas.