With its deadline expiring in less than three months, Nagaland In-Service Doctors’ Association (NIDA) has appealed to the State government to meet its demand for increasing the age for superannuation of doctors serving in government institutions.
NIDA warned that the association would be compelled resort to other measures of protest including total cease work throughout the state if it observes further lack of urgency on the part of the government.
In a memorandum to chief secretary J Alam, NIDA president Dr E Phyantsuthung and general secretary Dr Mereninla Senlem said several memorandums were submitted by NIDA to the government on the superannuation issue after the first one was submitted in August 2016.
NIDA has appealed to the government that the issue be addressed on a war footing with concrete results and to be implemented within the stipulated assured timeframe.
Mentioning that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of increasing the retirement age of government doctors was aimed at addressing the issue of acute shortage of doctors in the country and retain the services of experienced doctors for a longer period, they pointed out that the total sanctioned strength of doctors was 511 in Nagaland, 37 dental surgeons and 27 AYUSH medical officers.
However, they claimed that there were shortages of 326 doctors, 13 dental surgeons and 20 AYUSH medical officers. Further, another 248 doctors would be required for the two upcoming medical colleges at Kohima and Mon. And in the intervening period since the submission of NIDA’s demand, they said at least 42 doctors had retired from the service.
After a series of discussions and communications between the association and the State government at various levels, the memorandum claimed that the chief secretary had given a written assurance on April 17, 2021 that the State government was actively considering the matter of increasing the superannuation age of doctors and offered to resolve the matter within a period “not exceeding one year”.
Expressing dismay that nothing tangible had been done so far, NIDA said it was all the more disheartening that the sub-committee formed for addressing the issue took more than six months after the assurance and had done precious little so far even after more than three months of its formation.
During the last meeting between the NIDA and sub-committee on December 14, 2021, they said they had flatly rejected the latter’s verbal offer of fixing 60 years for doctors in administrative (office) works and 62 years for doctors in clinical (hospital) works as superannuation ages.
They reiterated NIDA’s core demand as stated in October 27, 2020 memo– 62 years for administrative post and 65 years for clinical post, without taking into account the length of their service.
Pointing out that the deadline of April 16, 2022 was now less than three months away and gauging from the lack of urgency and seriousness from the government’s side, they said they were very sceptical of the government resolving the issue within the stipulated period.
Claiming that the association had time and again reminded the government, both verbally and in writing, for timely resolving the issue to avoid unnecessary confrontations, they however said they were apprehensive that such a scenario was now becoming inevitable.
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