Patna, April 27: Reacting to the finance department’s proposal of deciding extra increments for specialist doctors after constituting the specialist sub-cadre in state health services, Bihar Health Services Association (BHSA) — the body representing government doctors in the state — has demanded that the government should decide the payscale of specialist doctors before appointing them.
“It is a classic case of putting the cart before the horse. No doctor will be attracted to the cadre if they do not make the changes. The government could get only 375 specialists against an advertisement for 2,132 posts by the Bihar Public Service Commission. We have demanded many times that the specialist sub-cadre should get payscales and assured career promotion according to the recommendations of Fitment Committee,” said Dr Ajay Kumar, general secretary, BHSA.
In a letter addressed to the principal specretary of the state health and family welfare department, Ajay wrote: “Instead, the health department recommended three extra increments to specialists, which was approved by the finance department in 2009 itself. Now the finance department has sent a note to the health department that three extra increments to specialist doctors would be finalised only after the constitution of the specialist sub-cadre. The government should first decide the payscale of specialists. Only then will it be possible to get more of them in the specialist sub-cadre.”
Sources said with advances in medical science, specialist healthcare has become an essential part of the healthcare system. Specialist healthcare in Bihar is available only in medical colleges. As there are only a few medical colleges in Bihar, they are not able to cope with this burden.
“Some specialist care is available at the district level by specialists appointed as general duty medical officers (GDMO) in Bihar health services without any extra payment,” Kumar said.
The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), 2005-2012, has set its goal to provide quality healthcare in rural areas by establishing 30-bed community health centres for every 1.2-lakh population. At least seven specialists, including physician, paediatrician, surgeon, gynaecologist, anaesthetist, ophthalmologist and public health specialist, have to be posted in each centre.
“But NRHM has expressed anxiety over the fact that many states do not have the specialist cadre. It includes Bihar where 4,973 specialists are required according to the state department’s estimation. However, service conditions have to be good enough for the expert doctors to be attracted to join state services,” said Kumar. Sources said the Fitment Committee has recommended a specialist cadre in Bihar health services in one scale higher than the payscale of GDMOs. But in 2008, the state government provided a specialist sub-cadre in Bihar health services rules with payscale and promotion exactly similar to the general doctors.
