Punjab: No provision for promotion of Rural Medical Officers in Punjab

The spokesperson of Rural Medical Services Association (RMSA), Dr Rajesh Kumar told HT, “We were hired in 2006 but our services regularised in 2011. We are entitled to dynamic assured career progression (DACP) at 4, 9, and 14 years of service. But five years since regularization, the benefit hasn’t come to us. After a decade, I am still an RMO, and will probably retire as this. In the PCMS cadre, a doctor becomes senior medical officer after 9 years, civil surgeon after 20, and many retire as director. What is my fault? I have the same qualifications,” .

“For postgraduate seats under 60% quota, the RMOs get no advantage of rural posting, while the counterparts from the health department get this credit,” said Dr Sukhjinder Singh, another RMO. RMSA president Dr Aslam Parvez said: “Why wouldn’t we be angry. We have met the minister and the director concerned, and now have no other option but agitation.”

Lately, Health department has been struggling to serve subsidiary health centres, due to which 1,186 rural dispensaries were moved from the health department to the rural development department in 2006

The rural health director GK Singh, when contacted by the newspaper told that the  process is on to give the RMOs the DACP benefit and a promotion channel. “We have moved the file to the finance department.”