Guwahati, Jan. 18: Dispur today came up with special incentives for certain categories of medical and health officers to encourage them to work in rural areas.

Health and family welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that joint director of health services and chief medical and health officer working in rural areas would get an incentive of Rs 5,000 over his/her salary. A senior medical and health officer would get Rs 4,000 while medical and health officer-1 would get Rs 3,000.

The incentives would have a retrospective effect from April 1, 2006, and will cause an additional annual burden of Rs 11.67 crore on the state exchequer, the minister said.

As of now, the government will dole out the additional amount as incentives, but it has moved the Pay Commission to merge the hike in the salary of the officials.

Sarma said this is for the first time that any state has come out with such special incentives.

The government has also decided to raise the number of reserved seats in the state quota for post-graduate medical students from 10 to 16 for MBBS doctors working in rural areas, that is 5 km away from the notified town area.

Henceforth, students from Assam who would appear for the MBBS examination in medical colleges outside the state would not be allowed to avail of the state quota for post-graduate students.

In another significant decision, the government has enhanced the daily spending on patients’ meal in all government hospitals from Rs 10 to Rs 25.

This will cost the state exchequer Rs 5 crore every year.

From January 1, 2007, the stipends of all post-graduate residents has been increased to Rs 11,000, that of non-postgraduate residents to Rs 10,250 and of interns to Rs 7,000.

To check “corrupt practices” in government hospitals, the government is planning to introduce a bill in the Assembly in June. The draft of the bill is being worked out.

Sarma reiterated that it would be mandatory for government doctors to be present in hospitals from 8 am to 2 pm.