• Only emergency services available on July 18, & 20
• To initiate total cease-work from July 21
DIMAPUR, JULY 11 (MExN): The Nagaland In Service Doctors’ Association (NIDA) is set to resume its agitation in the form of only delivering emergency services with effect from July 18, 19 and 20, as a means to demand review of the cabinet decision on the superannuation issue.
A press release from the NIDA stated that if there no positive response, then total shut down of all the health units in the state (total cease work) will take place from July 21 for an indefinite period.
The association had written to the Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare on April 26 and the Chief Minister on June 10 to review the cabinet decision on the superannuation issue and expressing its dissent to the cabinet decision and inability to accept the decision.
It questioned that when the cabinet decided to raise the superannuation age of all the medical doctors from 60 to 62 years, why was the contradictory word "re-employment" used. When the proposed "re-employment" is for all medical doctors why does it not include administrative positions including the directorate,” it further asked.
The NIDA noted that this kind of dispensation was tried and tested in NHM up to 65 years of age, where it has proved to be a total failure due to hierarchical issues. It wondered when the increase in superannuation age has been implemented in most of the North-Eastern states, why not Nagaland.
It pointed out that any officer retiring at Additional Director rank and above will have hierarchical issues in the District Hospitals where the controlling officers are of Joint Director rank if implemented.
The demand is for 62 years for all without any other criteria and we shall stick by this decision, the NIDA asserted, while also demanding that the effective date of implementation of any cabinet decision should be very clearly mentioned.
Predicts severe shortage of manpower
Meanwhile, the NIDA mentioned that for the two upcoming medical colleges at Kohima and Mon, 150 doctors in each college will be required. Since the Nagaland Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (NIMSR) is to be functional by the 2022-23 academic year, out of the 150 doctors required, so far, we have about 40-50 in-service doctors who are eligible and willing to take up the different post in the upcoming medical college, it informed.
With the exit of such a large number of medical officers from the state health services to the medical college, it said that there will be a severe shortage of manpower in the public health facilities of the state health department.
The NIDA informed that the requirement of doctors in the country is about 6 lakhs, while the doctors produced annually is only 70,000 per year. To maintain the WHO recommendation doctor-patient ratio, there is requirement of 1200 doctors in Nagaland, while the number of doctors stands at 1229 only till date.
“Considering more than 20% of inactive doctors which accounts to be about 245 inactive doctors, active doctors in the state will be about 984 only. Therefore, the shortfall of doctors in the state stands at a staggering number of about 871 Doctors excluding 2 Medical colleges and 5 newly created Districts,” it said.
Presently, only about 40-50 MBBS seats are allotted to the state government by the Government of India per year. In this given scenario, it will take about 24-27 years or even more to achieve and come at par with the WHO recommendation, the NIDA informed. It further revealed that out of 1,229 registered Doctors in the state, 528 Doctors are in the public sector, about 200 doctors are retired or resigned, and about 245 doctors are inactive, which means approximately only 456 doctors are in the private sector. Therefore, enhancement of the superannuation age of doctors will not adversely affect the employment avenues for the unemployed Doctors in the state, it reasoned.
The NIDA added that besides creation of more posts, retention of doctors through enhancement of superannuation age and production of more doctors by opening more medical colleges will help tide over the acute shortages of doctors in the state.
Experienced senior doctors are required to see the fruition of the ongoing projects especially the upcoming medical colleges at Kohima and Mon which is a very crucial phase. A minimum of 150 doctors per medical college will be required, which will further the shortfall of doctors in the public sector, it said.
It stated that many retired and highly experienced doctors are being immediately engaged by private hospitals, while Government hospitals are deprived of utilizing their expertise and experience due to early retirement. Therefore, enhancing the superannuation age will enable optimal use of service of the highly trained and well-experienced doctors, the NIDA stressed.
