Himachal Debars In-service Medical Officers to pursue certain PG Medical courses outside state; Medicos see red

Kangra: A recent order by the Himachal Pradesh Government which directs that as the state has “sufficient” number of Medical Officers in Preventive and Social Medicine (Community Medicine), MPH, MAE, DPH and MHA specialities and hence may not be sponsored is being drastically condemned by the doctors.

The hilly state sponsors many medical officers (in-service doctors) to go and pursue PG medical courses in other states, with the condition that after completion of their course, they will come back and serve in himachal for a certain period. The order effectively implies that those candidates wishing to pursue PG medical courses in these specialities will no longer be provided any government support for their career enhancement

The order has not gone well with the medicos working in the state.

Terming this order as "regressive, discriminatory, fascist and humiliating", the Himachal Pradesh Medical Officers’ Association (HMOA) have demanded its rollback and threatened of resorting to agitation if the orders are not withdrawn by the government. The association has stated that this order aimed at marginalising and demeaning the very important specialities which are a national priority in health services. Dr Susheel Sharma, HMOA spokesperson, alleged that the order is an infringement of the basic human right to education.

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Choosing a course for higher education is a candidate’s prerogative and one cannot be forcefully stopped from pursuing the course of his or her choice, he asserted. The Association questions the reference of “Sufficient specialists” in the order and reiterated that the shortage of doctors in the country is a matter of national and state concern, reports UNI.

The HMOA alleged that all the posts of Programme officers and Hospital administrators were not currently being manned by specialists in Community Medicine, Public Health and Health administration and suggested that the government should rather first post these specialists at their suitable posts so that the national health programmes and health institutions are run efficiently.

Dr Sunny Dhiman, Kangra District President of the Association, asked that if this was the case, why have doctors with basic degrees of Dental and Ayurveda have been posted as programme officers in the Health services cadre? He said that the discrimination against specific specialities would be disheartening for the doctors wishing to pursue their careers in these courses which will have long term repercussions.

Dr Dhiman said that Medical colleges in the state are short of faculties in the subject of Community Medicine and by passing such allegedly draconian orders, the situation would worsen in days to come.

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