Doctors at the news conference in Patna on Friday. Picture by Jai Prakash

Patna, June 17: Bihar State Health Service Association (BSHA) today criticised the health department’s recent decision to add age condition to the appointment of senior medical officers.

The state government has come out with the provision that only those medical practitioners who have two or more years of service left would be considered for appointment to the post of civil surgeons, deputy civil surgeons, superintendents and deputy superintendents in medical colleges and hospitals.

BSHA general secretary Ajay Kumar said: “The government should immediately withdraw the said provision which is discriminatory, a violation of rules and disrespectful to senior doctors. Bihar state service 2008 does not mention anything about the said provision.”

He further said: “The rules, in fact, say that civil surgeons should be appointed from among the senior-most medical officers, purely on the basis of ability and efficiency.”

He said, “The doctors in this state are treated as clerks, no respect is given to our profession. For the past five years, 125 posts have remained vacant in various departments and the government has taken no decision to fill them up.”

“The government should take measures to fill up the posts considering the expanse of health services in the state. It, however, is creating rift and confusion among the medical officers for few seats. The association would oppose the move by the government.”

The association, to put pressure on the government, has decided to opt for Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) if their pleas are not heard by August 5. All the members would file for VRS and would serve three months notice, according to the rule of VRS.

While welcoming the government’s announcement on June 14 to fill the post of medical officers and specialists in the state, the association expressed doubt if the government would recruit doctors in adequate number without changing the current rules and service conditions.

Kumar cited an instance of 2008 when the government had come out with advertisement for 2132 vacancies for specialists in various departments and could fill up only 273 posts.

Doctors are also opposing the proposed Clinical Establishment Act (CEA) and Medical Protection Act (MPA). The CEA is mooted by the central government while MPA is based on the Andhra Pradesh model with few modifications.

Dr Ajay said, “We are not aware of what all is lacking in the Andhra Pradesh model and we are fearful that this act will be used against us and not as a protection for us.”