Doctors on pen down strike as Himachal Pradesh refuses Non-Practicing Allowance
The protest will be observed from 9.30 am to 11 am every week to persuade the government to restore the NPA system for the newly recruited doctors in various departments of the state government.
Shimla: Protesting against the abolition of Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA) after a meeting with Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil failed to produce any results, doctors under the Himachal Pradesh Medical Officer Association (HPMOA) have decided to observe one hour strike every day for a week starting from today.
The protest will be observed from 9.30 am to 11 am every week to persuade the government to restore the NPA system for the newly recruited doctors in various departments of the state government. The doctors have threatened that the strike will go on until the notification to abolish NPA is withdrawn by the government. As promised earlier, the doctors wore black badges on duty in hospitals as an act of protest.
This comes after the meeting between the representatives of the Himachal Pradesh Medical Officer Association (HPMOA) and Health Minister Shandil failed to reach any conclusion on Saturday. It came to light that the Minister called the representatives for discussion at the state secretariat in Shimla and requested them to call off their strike, but they refused. The doctors clarified that they would continue till the NPA is restored, TOI reports.
As a result of the strike, people who visit state-run government hospitals daily for treatment are experiencing major inconvenience as doctors are refusing to treat patients in the OPD ward and are only addressing emergency cases.
Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that the newly appointed government doctors in Himachal Pradesh will not receive Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA) anymore as the State Government announced its decision to terminate it.
Issuing an official notification in this regard, the State Government has clarified that newly recruited doctors across departments, including Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education, Dental, Ayush, and Animal Husbandry, will not be entitled to NPA.
While speaking with the media person at the blood donation camp organized by the State Transport Department at Shimla's Ridge Maidan, Minister Shandil said that he was unaware of the closure of the NPA of doctors and came to know about it through newspapers.
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Shandil said the state government has always been considerate of the demands of the doctors and appreciates their contribution to the development of the state official statement said.
The minister assured the delegation that the matter related to the restoration of the NPA will be discussed with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, it said.
The decision to abolish NPA drew a sharp reaction from medical and veterinary associations, who termed it "anti-people" and demanded that the notification be withdrawn.
The state government had earlier reduced the NPA from 25 per cent to 20 per cent of the basic pay and now the NPA is being denied to future doctors, they said.
BJP has also criticized the Himachal Pradesh government over its decision to abolish Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA) for doctors, saying it is “anti-people” and it has demanded that the Congress dispensation withdraw the decision. They said the reduction in salary would impact the health system in the state as the doctors would not be inclined to join government jobs.
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