Dimapur, April 5 (MExN): The ‘three-day mass casual leave’ called by the Nagaland In-service Doctors Association (NIDA) to protest the State Government’s failure to resolve the issue of superannuation for government medical doctors has been garnering support from NIDA units across the state.
The proposed casual leave from April 18 to 20 would be the first phase of agitation, following which all NIDA members would assemble at Kohima on April 21 for the next course of action.
On Tuesday, the members of NIDA Mokokchung Unit issued a statement through its Secretary, stating that it would “fully support the NIDA demand for extension of all in-service doctors from 60 to 62 years.”
The statement pointed out that the state of Nagaland would soon be requiring more doctors to manage health facilities in the five newly created districts as well as the two upcoming medical colleges, adding “With medical doctors already in short, this will be the only option to retain our experiences doctors to guide in the transition process.”
It further stated that all other states in India have implemented the superannuation of age of doctors following the announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2016 that the retirement of all Government medical doctors in the country would be raised due to acute shortage of medical doctors and to retain experiences doctors for a longer period.
The long pending issue goes as far back as August 2016 when the NIDA submitted its first memorandum to the State Government.
Earlier while announcing the mass casual leave, the NIDA head office had stated that subsequent series of discussions and communications at various levels were held following which the State Government, on April 17, 2021 gave a written assurance through the office of the Chief Secretary that "the Government is actively considering the matter relating to the increase in the superannuation.”
The Chief Secretary’s written assurance had “offered to resolve the matter within a period not exceeding one year,” NIDA stated then.
Reminding the State Government to “keep its promise of sorting out this issue before the one year deadline for action, which ends on April 17, 2022,” the NIDA members of Peren Unit asserted its support towards extending the superannuation age of all in-service doctors in Nagaland from 60 to 62 years.
The Peren Unit which comprises of doctors from the Chief Medical Officer’s (CMO) establishment and the District Hospital under the Medical Superintendent (MS), also underscored that there is an “urgent requirement to tide over the acute shortage of trained doctors in government service, which is even more pertinent in our state.”
To buttress it’s point, the Unit maintained that the state would require many more doctors for the upcoming two medical colleges and several newly created districts, in addition to the already present shortage of in-service doctors (As per Indian Public Health Standard guidelines).
It also highlighted that almost all other states of India have increased the superannuation age of doctors, fulfilling the promise made by Prime Minister Modi, in a press release issued by Unit representatives Dr Zaiwang Zeliang and Dr Jeshua Nchang.
In this connection, the NIDA Tuensang Unit, which also includes all in-service doctors under the CMO and MS, stated that it would “standby any decision made by NIDA if the government fails to fulfill its assurance in implementing the legitimate demands.”
A statement to this effect was issued by Dr Y Imlongchaba (District Hospital Tuensang) and Dr Chongya BL (CMO Representative), emphasising that it would strongly support NIDA’s demands, based on the Prime Minister’s announcement.
Meanwhile, a statement from the District Hospital, Zunheboto Unit representative Dr Esther Ngullie and CMO unit representative Dr J Hokugha Sema was also received on Tuesday, wherein the in-service doctors under Zunheboto Unit extended full support for the extension of superannuation age of all in-service doctors in Nagaland from 60-62 years.
It may be mentioned that on March 22, a day after NIDA announced its decision to go for mass casual leave, Principal Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Amardeep Singh Bhatia while addressing a Budget press conference in Kohima, said the State Cabinet in its last meeting decided to hold another round of consultation with NIDA on the superannuation issue.
However, no developments in this regard have been made public so far.
