After Pb health dept docs, RMOs set for confrontation with govt

Chandigarh: Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) may have finally called off its stir, but rural medical officers (RMOs) in Punjab are now on a collision course with the AAP-led govt over pending grievances.
Similar to health department doctors, who had been advocating for the reinstatement of assured career progression (ACP), RMOs want the implementation of a dynamic assured career progression scheme (DACPS) and address disparities in career advancement between RMOs in rural development and their health department counterparts.


Contrary to Punjab service rules, which stipulate that doctors in the department of rural development and panchayat are entitled to pay allowances approved by state government in the health department, these benefits are not being extended to rural medical officers. Under DACPS, medical officers are entitled to three-grade pay revisions — first after four years, second after nine years and third after 14 years of service.
Rural medical officers were regularised in May 2011 with entry-level payscale of Rs 15,600-39,100 plus grade pay of Rs 5,400 which is equal to entry-level pay of medical officers of the health department. Even after rendering regular service for nearly 13 years, doctors of the rural department are still waiting for their first grade-pay revision from Rs 5,400 to Rs 6,600 and subsequently second grade of Rs 7600, which has been due since May 2015 and May 2020, for which several representations were given to department but still not implemented.
Years of neglect by successive governments has crippled rural healthcare, resulting in health centres lacking required amenities, erratic medicine supplies, and manpower shortages. There are 560 rural dispensaries of rural development and panchayats department, each catering to a population of nearly 10,000.
Rural doctors have been demanding upgrades to infrastructure, which they claim has remained stagnant since 2011, as well as regular medicine supplies, increased budgets for medicine, and laboratory setups.
Dr Jagjit Bajwa, president of the Association of Rural Medical Officers, lamented the lack of promotional channels for rural medical officers and no quota for postgraduation, a benefit afforded to health department doctors. “We were hired as RMOs and remain in the same position after nearly 13 years of service. The matter of DACP is already in the knowledge of the chief minister. Still, nothing much has been done so far,” Dr Bajwa said, warning that if the govt fails to address their long-pending demands, they will be forced to protest, including suspending services.