The doctors at the Government health facilities would undertake a work boycott call for two hours in the morning from Monday. The association of Government doctors - Provincial Medical Health Service (PMHS) - has given the work boycott call from 9 am to 11 am.
The PMHS is up in arms against the Government for being selective in implementation of the Departmental Assured Career Progression (DACP) scheme. From last week the Government doctors were donning black arm bands in support of their demand.
The general secretary of PMHS, Dr Naresh Napalchiyal said that the demand of doctors for compete implementation of DACP is totality justified and the agitation would continue till this demand is accepted.
He said that the review meetings would be held on February 7 in both Garhwal and Kumaon divisions and future course of action would be decided in these meetings. The association has assured to maintain essential services during this phase of agitation.
Dr Napalchiyal said that the doctors of the health services are doing a commendable job even though about 65 percent posts of medical officers are lying vacant and the demand of DACP is an old one. The association is irked as despite repeated assurances from the Chief Minister and Health Minister the department has not given the benefit of DACP to the serving doctors of state health services.
“It is really surprising that no one from the State Government cared to listen our grievance or call our leaders for talks even though we were working with black arm bands as a mark of protest from last seven days. It shows the level of sincerity of senior Government officials and we are now fully justified in intensifying our agitation,’’ said one of a senior medical officer.
The DACP means the benefit of assured increase in the grade pays of the doctors after 4, 9, 13 and 20 years of the service irrespective of whether they get promotions or not.
It is worth mentioning here that the State Government decided to implement the scheme for the doctors who joined the service in the year 2015 leaving the serving doctors of the state health services both high and dry and fuming in anger. These old doctors are now demanding that the benefit of DACP should be extended to them too.