HYDERABAD: Telangana doctors’ associations, on Tuesday, rose up in protest across Hyderabad against the proposal of a hike in the retirement age of doctors under the Directorate of Medical Education.
The proposal, if passed and implemented, will increase the retirement age from 58 years to 65 years.
The protestors claim that the age-hike will not only hamper the chances of junior doctors and fresh graduates acquiring employment as faculty but also reduce the chances of promotions for doctors who have already been serving as assistant professors for over a decade.
However, a handful of doctors who are currently associate professors and professors have welcomed the move and written to the Principal Secretary of Health, A Santhi Kumari, in a signatory campaign extending their support.
‘Implement CAS’
The Telangana Junior Doctors’ Association (TJUDA), Health Reform Doctor’s Association (HRDA) and Telangana Government Doctors’ Association (TGGDA) came together to revoke the proposal and pressurise the government to implement the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) that was passed in 2018. While doctors of HRDA organised a dharna with unemployed youths at Dharna Chowk, doctors of TJUDA boycotted elective services throughout the day and have planned to continue the strike until the Director of Medical Education comes to a decision keeping all stakeholders in mind.
Dr PS Vijender, chairman of Telangana Junior Doctors Association, said, “From 2011 there has been no recruitment. If older professors get another seven years of extension, the opportunity of fresh faces to become faculty will further decrease. Right now, it is recruitment that is crucial, not age-hike. There are 1,750 sanctioned seats of assistant professors, and 1,333 are still vacant. Meanwhile, professor vacancies are around 270. If the CAS is implemented, more that 400 associate professors will become eligible for the post of professors.”
General secretary of TGGDA Dr Narahari said, “We aren’t completely against the issue of age-hike. However, the decision was bulldozed without consulting with any of the stakeholders. If the DME is willing to sit down and discuss this with both junior and senior doctors amicably, a solution can definitely be sought. We will not oppose the age-hike if the CAS is implemented with immediate effect.”
An assistant professor from Niloufer Hospital, on the condition of anonymity, explained, “The entry point for Directorate of medical education is assistant professorship. The assistant professor recruitment is done either directly by the DME or via a lateral recruitment by the Directorate of Public Health and TVVP. Now, the main workforce at hospitals performing night duties are also assistant professors, as the recruitments haven’t happened. If the CAS is not implemented and the age-hike is finalised, these doctors who have been assistant professors will not get a chance at being associate professors. We will have to slog with night duties and faculty duties until the age of 50 to 55.”
Support for the move
One of the signatories of the letter addressed to the principal secretary, also a professor of Orthopaedics at Osmania General Hospital, said, “One of the reasons why we are supporting the age-hike is because there had been a 10-year stagnation period in promotions during the State bifurcation. Therefore, the associate professors from that period have just become professors, now. It would be unfair to the doctors who are about to retire if they are not given a chance to reap benefits of their promotions.”
Another associate professor, Dr B Shekar said, “We want the State government to follow UGC norms that allow upto 65 years for retirement. In other states, the retirement age for medical faculty varies anywhere between 60 to 65 years We would like the same.”
TJUDA may boycott emergency services
The TJUDA has also threatened to boycott emergency services if the proposal of age-hike gets implemented. This will affect patients from underprivileged sections who travel from other districts and states to government hospitals in hope of quality healthcare