The association of Government doctors, the Provincial Medical Health Services (PMHS) is planning to move to court to challenge the clause of hill service incorporated by the Government while implementing the Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP) for them. The State Government has incorporated clause of compulsory hill posting at every assured increase of grade pays while implementing the DACP recently. The doctors are annoyed as almost 70 percent of the doctors have become not eligible for DACP benefit by this clause. The agitated doctors are of the view that they have served in hill and plain areas as per the directive and wish of the State Government and the benefit of DACP is unconditional wherever it is applied.
The Spokesperson of the PMHS, Dr Anand Shukla said that the Chief Minister Harish Rawat had directed the senior officers to grant relaxation in the clause of hill posting but it was not done. He said that with State heading for Assembly elections and impending implementation of model code of conduct, time is running out for them and desperation has set in among the doctors left out from the scheme. Dr Shukla said that the PMHS would meet the CM within next few days and if nothing happens would move to the High Court on the issue. The DACP means 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. Accepting the long standing demand of doctors, the state government finally implemented the DACP last year but with a rider that its benefit would be provided to only those who had joined the state services in the year 2015 and would join in later years.
On vehement opposition by the doctors the Government later extended the scheme on all serving doctors but incorporated a clause of hill posting on every level.