Over inordinate delay in the implementation of Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP) scheme, the doctors of State health service are on warpath again. The Association of Government Doctors, the Provincial Medical Health Services (PMHS) has declared that the provisions of DACP are not implemented and the Government Order (GO) for one time relaxation in the clause of minimum service in mountainous areas is not issued then the doctors could go on strike from November 16.
The State Government issued a Government Order (GO) for implementation of DACP on July 14 this year according to which the doctors of State health service would get increase in their grade pays after four, nine, 13 and 20 years of service, irrespective of the whether they get promotions and not. However in the GO, a condition of minimum service in mountainous areas was made which made almost fifty percent of the doctors ineligible for increase in grade pays. The GO mandated that the doctors should have two, five, seven and nine years of hill posting to get benefits of four, nine, 13 and 20 years under DACP. The State president of PMHS, Dr SK Goswami told The Pioneer that around 150 odd doctors of the state health services fulfilled the criteria of minimum hill services and they have submitted the required documents to the office of Director General (DG) to get the increase in grade pays but the department is yet to release increased salaries to these 150 doctors. Goswami said that on the request of PMHS both the Chief Minister Harish Rawat and health Minister Surendra Singh Negi had ordered the department to grant one time relaxation on the clause of hill postings. “Irrespective of the orders of CM and health minister, the senior officials are yet to release the GO of one time relaxation in hill posting for DACP. The doctors are agitated lot and feeling let down by the Government,’’ he said.
The doctors are of the view that senior IAS officers are deliberately putting obstacles in the path of proper implementation of DACP as they don’t want that doctors should get more salaries than them.
The executive body of PMHS met recently and decided to resume agitation if the benefits of the DACP are not received by the doctors. The association has even threatened to undertake strike from November 16.