Govt’s move to appoint 1000 medicos hits ‘SRO 202’ roadblock
Srinagar: The government’s move to appoint 1000 doctors was apparently aimed at addressing the paucity of doctors in the peripheries of the State, however, the initiative has led to predicament among the medicos.
Government’s plan of appointing 1000 doctors is apparently not going to serve its purpose, as the doctors are vehemently resisting the move because of ‘bothersome’ SRO-202 factor.
The doctors are opposing the move saying that it is against the ‘dignity’ of their profession, making the process of appointment a zero-sum game.
However, at the same time, there are many doctors who are willing to apply for these notified posts, owing to unemployment and in many cases, the age factor.
Under SRO-202, the doctors will have to work for 5 years under contract, without the advantages that are availed by the regular employees of the health department. The appointed doctor will have to stick one place for five years and even after the passage of 5 years, there is no job guarantee for a medico who has devoted the entire life to the profession.
The move has generated a mixed response from medicos, while some are saying that is tantamount to ‘disrespecting’ their profession, some are saying that it is nothing but a modern form of ‘slavery’.
At the same time, those doctors who are unemployed, or those, who are working outside, and are willing to come back to their families, are saying that they might consider applying for the posts.
Some of the medicos, who are away from their families, and are working outside, said that they might consider applying for the posts, “rest can be seen later.”
“I am working outside for last many years now, though, I am earning handsomely, but at the end of the day, there is a sort of loneliness that you are away from your family and the people of your state,” said a doctor working outside.
Doctors Association of Kashmir (DAK), while earlier welcoming the move of appointing 1000 doctors, has castigated the government for making these appointments under SRO-202, saying that it is equal to ‘disrespecting’ the profession of doctors.
Moreover, the doctors are not willing to work while they are posted in far-flung areas—is already troubling the health care system.
This time some doctors, who could have applied for the notified posts, are apprehensive that they will be posted in far-flung areas, if selected, thus, those medicos are also staying away from the process.
Notably, in a bid to address the deficiency of doctors in the peripheries of the State, the Department of Health and Medical Education had referred at least 1000 on contract posts of Medical Officers to recruitment agency JKPSC, to be filled under SRO 202.
President, DAK Dr Suhail Naik said that the government could have done it in a different way, “while it notified that 1000 doctors will be appointed, it could have appointed only 500, but under regular appointments without SRO-202,” he said.
It seems that the process may take a great deal of time to reach to its culmination, or to finally address the scarcity of doctors—in coming days, it may face legal hurdles, as the DAK may challenge the appointments under 202, once again bringing the aim of addressing the shortage of manpower in the peripheral healthcare to a grinding halt.
In order to get the official stand on the opposition that the appointment of Medical Officers has faced, Principal Secretary Health and Medical Education Atal Dulloo did not respond to repeated calls from this reporter.
Irfan Tramboo
