Punjab: Three days after the Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) called off its agitation following the state notification restoring annual career progression of medical officers, the federation of Rural Medical Services Association of Punjab, comprising over 500 doctors, is preparing for a month-long protest. The federation has written a letter to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann demanding a Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP) scheme. The rural medical officers have announced that they will begin a phased protest from February 1 if their demand is not met. Terming it as the “dark month of Punjab’s rural healthcare”, the protest will see the rural medical officers wearing black badges while on duty and displaying hoardings at subsidiary health centres (SHCs) or rural dispensaries to highlight their plight. If the problem persists, the federation warned of intensifying the protest by taking to the streets. Raising the grievances of around 530 rural medical officers who have been serving in the remote areas of the state for nearly two decades, federation office-bearers Dr JP Narula and Dr Jagjit Singh Bajwa said that despite their significant contribution to rural healthcare under the Rural Development and Panchayats Department, the officers have been denied the benefits of the DACP scheme. Working tirelessly to provide medical services in ‘underprivileged’ areas, they have expressed dissatisfaction over the decision, which they termed as ‘unfair and discriminatory’. Dr Narula said, “The DACP scheme, designed to ensure career progression and financial stability for medical professionals, has not been extended to the rural medical officers, leading to a deep sense of injustice among the cadre.” “For the past 19 years, we have been dedicating ourselves to improving healthcare in rural Punjab under extremely challenging circumstances. Yet our contribution has not been recognised as compared to other doctors in the healthcare system,” the doctor added. The federation stressed that providing DACP benefits to rural medical officers would ensure equal treatment within the state’s healthcare structure.
Punjab: Doctors of rural dispensaries want career progression scheme
