It seems that the doctors of the State health services are only concerned about increasing their already fat pay packages. After waging a long struggle for implementation of Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP), the association of government doctors of the Provincial Medical and Health Services (PMHS) has bifurcated on the issue of giving more increments to the specialist doctors of State health services.
The specialist doctors organised a meeting at Doon hospital on Monday and unanimously decided to create a new outfit. These doctors were apprehensive that with the implementation of DACP, the State government would take back the benefit of assured increments, which they get at the service of 3, 5 and 7 years. The former President of PMHS and senior eye specialist of Doon hospital Dr B C Ramola told The Pioneer that there was a feeling among the specialist doctors that they would lose monetary benefits by implementation of the DACP. He said that the specialists have decided that the state government should stick to existing system of increments and implementation of DACP holds no importance to them now.
When contacted the General Secretary of PHMS Dr S K Goswami refused to acknowledge the existence of new association of doctors. He claimed that some specialist doctors are wary of new transfer policy as they are serving in the cities like Dehradun for many years and under the new policy, they would surely shifted outside their current place of posting. Dr Goswami claimed that these doctors are trying to sabotage the implementation of transfer policy by raising an unnecessary demand. He claimed that the DACP would have no negative impact on the pay scales of the specialists and by creating confusion some doctors are trying to create an atmosphere where the State Government declares a zero transfer session.
The State Government had accepted long standing demand of the doctors to implement DACP and was planning to introduce it soon. Under the Dynamic Assured Carrier Progression (DACP), the doctors get assured increase in their grade pay after 4, 9, 13 and 20 years of the service. It is worth mentioning here that the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh has recently implemented this scheme. This scheme is also followed by the central and many other State Governments. However, the division of doctors on the issue has put a question mark on implementation of this scheme in the State.