At a time when Uttarakhand is battling disaster-like situation due to cloudbursts and excessive rainfall in many parts of the State, the Government doctors have threatened to go on strike. The doctors want that the State Government should come out with a Government Order (GO) for across the board implementation of the Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP) till July 8, failing which they would undertake a work boycott from July 11.
The decision was taken in the meeting of the association of Government doctors the Provincial Medical Health Services (PMHS) held on Sunday. The president of PMHS, Dr SK Goswami told The Pioneer that the State Cabinet on June 4 had taken a decision to extend the benefit of the DACP to all doctors of State health services but the State Government is yet to issue the relevant GO.
“Anger is brewing among the doctors over inordinate delay in release of GO. The Government should not delay it further,’’ he said.
The PMHS is pitching for implementation of DACP for last many years and in the recent past it has undertaken many agitations for it. The DACP entails assured increase in the grade pay of the doctors after 4, 9, 13 and 20 years of the service irrespective of whether they get promotions or not.
Experts believed that by the gift of DACP the young medical graduates would be attracted to serve in the State health services reeling under acute shortage of doctors. Bowing to the demand the State Government finally relented and implemented the DACP last year but restricted on the new entrants in the State health services.
The partial implementation of the scheme infuriated the serving doctors and they were up in arms against the decision of the State Government. The PMHS supported this stand and demanded across the board implementation of the scheme.
The State Cabinet in its meeting on June 4 decided to implement the scheme for all serving doctors but the all important GO for the same is yet to be issued.
The doctors are apprehensive that if the scheme is not implemented from April 1 as promised than they would get less salary increment when the seventh Pay commission is finally put into force.