Rohtak: Dentists discuss demands, allege bias in assured career progression, pay scales

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Rohtak, July 28

Dental doctors, including Deputy Medical Superintendents and Deputy Civil Surgeons, from five districts — Rohtak, Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Sonepat and Jind — met here last evening and discussed their long-pending demands. Significantly, they also accused the authorities of being biased by not fulfilling their demands.

“Dental doctors have been facing discrimination for a long time in terms of assured career progression (ACP) and pay scales. Medical Officers and Dental Surgeons do the same work under one roof, but there is a considerable difference of the ACP and pay scales between the two,” said Dr Ramesh Panchal, state president, Haryana Civil Dental Surgeons Association (HCDSA). He said Medical Officers and Dental Surgeons were working on equal pay scale in neighbouring Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan.

He said, “At present, all Dental Surgeons are getting first ACP in five years, but only 25 per cent of them are given the second ACP after 11 years and 20 per cent the third ACP after 17 years. This has created resentment and frustration among them. We want the government to ensure that all Dental Surgeons get second and third ACPs after 10 and 15 years, respectively, on the lines of MBBS doctors.”

Dr Panchal claimed that the pay scale of Dental Officers, Medical Officers and teachers of the same rank in Medical Colleges was the same, but this practice was not being followed by the Health Department. Similarly, Dental Surgeons had been kept in Group B at the entry level in the Haryana Civil Services, while other doctors were in Group A leading to huge difference in the pay scales, he said.

Dr Vikas Saini, another leader of the HCDSA, said dental surgeons were fulfilling all responsibilities assigned for the government programmes like Ayushman, PCPNDT, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Vikas Bharat Sankalp Yatra among others.

“Dental Surgeons also worked efficiently during the Covid pandemic. Though the state government patted their backs, it neither ensured parity in the pay scale and the ACP despite their demand. After Dental Surgeon, there are only posts of Senior Dental Surgeon and Deputy Civil Surgeon. Thereafter, they can be appointed as Director. We have been demanding two posts of Deputy Director to ensure promotion of Deputy Civil Surgeon on this post,” said Saini.

He demanded that qualified Dental Surgeons should also be appointed on the posts of Deputy Medical Superintendent and other administrative posts.

Meanwhile, giving a warning to the state government, Dr Panchal said, “If the government does not fulfil our demands by July 30, we would be forced to go on indefinite strike.” He further said Dental Surgeons would not do extra work and would only handle the OPD.

Earlier, the association held meetings in Rohtak, Bhiwani, Gurugram, Nuh, Jhajjar, Faridabad, Fatehabad and Jind districts.