BHUBANESWAR:The State Government which is struggling to resolve the agitation by teachers, now faces the heat from serving doctors. The doctors have threatened to launch an agitation protesting the proposed Odisha Medical and Health Services (OMHS) Cadre Rules, 2018.Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA), the apex body of Government doctors alleged that the new rules are aimed at regulating the method of recruitment, promotion and condition of service of medical officers in suppression of existing rules.
Terming the proposed OMHS Cadre Rules arbitrary, the association has threatened to stage dharna in front of their respective hospitals from October 2 and intensify later if the Government failed to make relevant amendments.The doctors’ body also demanded ICU and 24-hour emergency service in all District Headquarters Hospitals, security for doctors, deployment of armed police at casualty and specialist administrative allowance.
State president of OMSA Dr Nirakara Bhatta said there is no uniformity of conditions of service and promotion as the cadre has been divided into three parts - specialist, public health and general duty.As per the new rules General Duty (GD) medical officers will be eligible for promotion from junior Class I to Senior Class I after continuous six years of service and it’s five years for Specialists and Public Health cadre doctors for promotion. It eliminates mandatory service in KBK, KBK plus and TSP areas.
“Though GD medical officers are eligible for promotion from Senior Class I to Joint Director only after 10 years of service, including mandatory four years in KBK, KBK plus and TSP areas, the Specialist and PH doctors are eligible for promotion after completion of eight years of service. There is a disparity of two years which will lead to delay in promotion for GD doctors,” Dr Bhatta pointed out.
Similarly, for promotion from joint director to additional director, there is great disparity as the stipulated condition of five years of continuous service is required for GD doctors whereas the Specialist and PH cadre doctors will get promotion after rendering two years of service, he said.
While around 800 ad hoc and contractual doctors have been working in the State since years, OMSA members said, State Government is yet to make their service permanent despite repeated demands.
The association has submitted a memorandum to Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal seeking his intervention for proper evaluation of contents of the draft rules so that no doctor suffers for the conditions of service governed under Orissa Service Cadre (OSC) rules for promotion and other benefits.