Medical fraternity for time-bound re-designation

Tribune News Service

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Patiala, May 27

Time-bound re-designation and increase in the retirement age to 65 years are right now the two major demands of medical and dental teachers working under the Punjab Government. All medical and dental colleges in North India, including AIIMS, New Delhi, PGI, Chandigarh, and all private medical and dental colleges in Punjab have already implemented both of these a long time ago, except the government medical and dental colleges in Patiala and Amritsar.

Time bound re-designation will lead to ease in the stagnation in the medical cadre with an increase in the strength of senior faculty and, hence increase in MD/MS seats without any financial burden on the state and result in drastic decrease in the number of litigations going on in the courts. The Health and Family Welfare Department and Medical Education Department have already sent a written communiqué to the state health secretaries to delink promotion from pay scales so that more doctors are attracted to the teaching cadre to make for the deficiency and subsequent increase in the number of specialist doctors in the country.

The age of retirement of medical faculty in AIIMS, New Delhi, is 67 years, in the PGI, Chandigarh, and GGS Medical College, Punjab, it is 65 years, and in all other central/state medical and dental colleges, the faculty can work up to the age of 70 years in accordance with the regulations of the Medical Council of India.

In a recent meeting with Cabinet Minister for Medical Education & Research Brahm Mohindra, the Punjab State Medical and Dental Teachers Association held a thorough discussion on these two major demands urging the minister to accept the same without any delay.