Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA) has reiterated its demand for reduction of retirement age of healthcare professionals from 65 to 62 apart from the government nod for voluntary retirement from service.
The association has demanded that those who want voluntary retirement should be given permission to do so. Besides, the medico body demanded the government to promote doctors after a tenure of 4, 9, 13 and 20 years in service instead of 7, 14 and 21 years.
Similarly, the union has also demanded cadre restructure of dentists, DACP, incentive for PG and job regularisation of ad-hoc doctors. Other demands of the association include Rs 10,000 grade pay after 20 years of service.
The association has warned of a state-wide agitation if the government fails to meet their demands.
"We have been requesting the government for the last several months to look into our demands. We hope that the government would invite us for a discussion in this regard failing which we would launch a state-wide protest. We will convene a meeting in the second or third week of February to discuss further course of action," said Dr Biswajit Samal, OMSA general secretary.
It is worth mentioning that the Odisha government had increased the retirement age of doctors from 62 to 65 in July last year during the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had announced the increase of the retirement age of physicians. However, the OMSA had said that the government need to ensure that doctors only be engaged in the patient's service, not in any administrative works.
The doctors' body also demanded that any healthcare professional who doesn't want to serve after 62 years should have the option to take voluntary retirement with full post-retirement benefits.