Chandigarh, February 13: The Punjab government’s move to merge more than 700 doctors of the Rural Development and Panchayats Department with the Health Department got a lukewarm response as a majority of them refused to do so after they were denied seniority benefits.
The Rural Development and Panchayats Department today circulated the consent forms among the rural medical officers giving them option to merge with the Health Department. However, along with the consent forms, the Health Department has also asked them to give an undertaking that they would be treated as fresh recruits and they would not seek any seniority benefits from the Health Department. They have also been asked to give an undertaking that they not would go to court seeking seniority benefits.
After coming to know about the denial of seniority benefits, majority of the doctors, led by the Rural Medical Services Association, have refused to merge with the Health Department. Dr JP Narula, president, Rural Medical Services Association, said even when government was ready to give benefits only 15 per cent of doctors had agreed to merge with the Health Department. “After working over a decade, why anybody would join as a fresher on the same salary. Now there will hardly be any doctor who would opt for the government’s offer,” he asked.
There are total 1,193 posts of rural medical officer, out of which the current cadre strength is around 750. After working as rural service providers through contract system for several years, services of these doctors were regularised in 2011.
The issue of merger of doctors has been going on for the past five years. After a series of meetings between Health Minister Brahm Mohindra and Rural Development Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa it was decided to give doctors an option instead of asking them to merge forcefully.
From the very beginning, the rural doctors were asking that they would merge with the Health Department only with full benefits of seniority and their joining date of service should be considered from 2011. However, the Health Department doctors as well as senior officials were reluctant to accept the demand.
News Source:Â http://www.tribuneindia.com
