Over 200 contractual doctors in UP to get 1-year extension
Lucknow: Amid a shortage of doctors in the state, the Directorate General of Medical Health has announced a one-year extension for over 200 doctors working on a contractual basis under Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) across the state.
The order issued by Dr Brijesh Rathore, the Director General of Medical Health, instructs Chief Medical Officers to assess whether the doctors are ready to maintain their positions and evaluate their performance before approving any extensions. Furthermore, the CMOs are required to report the current status of unfilled positions back to the directorate for further action.
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However, doctors who have already served for two years after being selected via a walk-in recruitment process in November 2023 including one year of extension will not be eligible for further renewal. Instead, they must reapply through the walk-in recruitment process whenever new hiring is organized, stated the order.
“According to the government order issued in June 2017 regarding the contractual posting of doctors, the period of extension can be for a maximum of one year, provided the fitness of the doctors for work and the quality of their work is deemed satisfactory,” stated the order from the DG health office.
As per HT news report, contractual doctors' wages vary depending on the location of their posting, with higher wages offered in remote areas to attract professionals. Cities are categorized into different grades, with Grade A cities like Lucknow, Prayagraj, Agra, and Ghaziabad offering Rs 50,000 per month to MBBS doctors. Grade D cities, being farther from the state capital, offer higher pay, with MBBS doctors earning Rs 65,000 monthly. Specialists receive significantly higher remuneration, ranging from Rs 80,000 in Grade A cities to Rs 1,20,000 in Grade D cities.
Currently, around 200 MBBS doctors and nine specialists are working on a contractual basis across the state. Given the state’s gap of approximately 7,000 doctors against the 19,000 sanctioned posts, retaining doctors in contractual positions remains critical.
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