Soon, Govt Doctors will be able to hold Administrative posts till 65 years

Already the Union Health Ministry has prepared a draft cabinet note for enhancing the retirement age of CHS doctors to 65 years and forwarded the same with the Cabinet departments requesting comments regarding the matter within two weeks.

"The Ministry of Health and Family is considering a proposal to enhance the retirement age of CHS doctors to 65 years from the current 62 years. It is also, accordingly, proposed to do away with the 'option form' and allow such doctors to hold administrative posts till 65 years," MOHFW mentioned in a recent letter.

Read Also: President Increases Retirement Age Of CHS Doctors To65 From 31st May, 2016

Medical Dialogues had previously reported that in the view of the shortage of doctors, the Union government, under the leadership of PM Modi announced an increase in the age of superannuation of the specialists of non-teaching and public health sub-cadres of Central Health Service and general duty medical officers of CHS to 65 years with effect from 31st May 2016.

However, following the decision to raise the retirement age, the Health Ministry decided that such professionals under the Central Health Scheme will serve in non-administrative posts between the age of 62 and 65 years.

"CHS officers of non-teaching specialists, public health specialists and GDMO sub cadres of CHS will hold the administrative posts till the date of attaining the age of 62 years and thereafter, their services will be placed in non-administrative positions," Union Health Ministry in a 2016 notification had said.

While the proposal was widely welcomed by senior government doctors throughout the country, the corresponding decision of Ministry of Health of shifting doctors out of administrative posts, had not gone well with the medical practitioners. Senior doctors working with the government had shown strong opposition to the order of the health ministry, ordering the cancellation of the said order.

In fact, the recent draft cabinet note prepared by the Union Health Ministry also mentioned the matter. "Aggrieved by the decision of the Ministry issued vide OM dated 13.08.2018 to shift the doctors occupying administrative posts to non-administrative positions after attaining the age of 62 years has been challenged by several doctors in various courts. As a result of these multiple litigations, in many cases interim orders/stay were passed by courts which led the petitioner doctors, to hold the administrative posts despite having attained the age of 62 years," read the draft cabinet note attached with the Union Health Ministry letter dated 01.06.2021.

Mentioning that out of around 21 cases filed, 9 are still lying pending, the cabinet note also added, "The Ministry is also facing a lot of difficulty to till up the senior level posts such as Special DGHS/DGHS as the eligible officers either have to be shifted to non-administrative positions after attaining the age of 62 years or their tenure for the said post is found to be very limited."