If everything goes as per Health department’s plan the acute shortage of medical officers in the State would be easily curbed in the near future.
Well-established sources revealed that the health department was planning to give a time-bound promotion to the State cadre medical doctors for attracting the profession. Even after offering a better perk and term to the medical officers, the doctors are abstaining from joining the State medical cadres. The department figures clearly highlighted that only 1,243 doctors — including contractual doctors — are catering the medical need of the patients against a vacancy of 2,400 medical officers in the Garhwal and Kumaon division of Uttarakhand.
Among the worst-affected districts where shortage of medical officers and graded specialist has become a perennial problem are Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Bageshwar, Champawat, Pithoragarh. It my noted that Government doctors have been demanding to implement Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP) to curb the shortage of medical officers but the decision is yet to take by the State Government.
Sources further confirmed that the Government has agreed for four, nine, 14 and 20 years time bound promotion instead of DACP. If the proposal receives green signal from the State Government then the acute shortage of medical officers could be easily overcome. It is also equally important to mention here is that those villagers who are living in the fringe parts of the State are among the worst suffers as they are forced to traverse several kilometres for the medical assistance and situation has turned gruesome after natural disaster struck in Uttarakhand, last month.
While speaking to The Pioneer, Provincial Medical Health Services Association State president Dr BC Ramola said that the association members are committed to providing medical relief to patients, even in odd hours of the day. “Acute shortage of medical officers would be easily overcome in the near future if the Government has agreed to the demand of the association,” he said, adding that the prime target of the association was to attract newly-passed out MBBS doctors so that the shortage of medical officers could be easily overcomes in the near future. Dr Ramola said the association was stick to implement DACP as it would surely help to overcome the shortage in the State medical cadre. He also highlighted that the post graduation seats for MBBS doctors should be allocated on the basis of seniority level.