Doctor hiring in Punjab: Investment in Talent and Retentions

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Last Updated: 22 June 2025

Challenge: Attracting and retaining doctors in Govt Hospitals, especially Rural & Semi Rural areas

Initiatives:

1.Guaranteed Promotion for Doctors
2.New Policy for PG benefits
3.Additional incentives for rural areas
4.Creation of New posts to reduce load
5.New Specialist courses & offered Govt Service under pre-admission signed bond
6. Increased Salary from 30k to 70k for House Surgeons
7. Security guards for all Hospitals 24x7

1. Started Career progression scheme[1]

Previous Govt had suspended a similar scheme

  • There are limited promotion opportunities for Doctors
  • Hence this scheme gives an assurance from the Government that doctor will get at least 3 pay upgrades in his/her entire career
    • At 5 year, 10 year and 15 year service completion
  • There are limited promotion opportunities for Doctors
  • Hence this scheme gives an assurance from the Government that doctor will get at least 3 pay upgrades in his/her entire career
    • At 5 year, 10 year and 15 year service completion
  • Previous Govt had suspended a similar scheme

2. NEW Policy to attract & retain Doctors[2]

  • Extending postgraduate quota benefits to Emergency Medical Officers
  • Additional benefits for non-preffered locations based on Categorisation of public health facilities
    • Normal: Within 20 kms of Big Cities
    • Difficult: Ones which falls in neither "Normal" or "Most Difficult"
    • Most Difficult: Includes Border and Aspirantional Districts
  • Special incentives for Border and Aspirational areas
  • More reforms including dynamic career progression and safer working conditions are also being worked upon

3. New Posts created[3]

New 1579 Posts of Doctors Created i.e. More Doctors
-- Hiring in progress along with old vacant posts

  • 09 March 2024: Created 1390 NEW posts & revived 189 posts of Medical Officer (General)

4. Specialist Doctors

All PG passout Specialist doctors are given Govt job offers

Previous governments let PG passout Specialist doctors(on bond) go without rendering service or paying a penalty of Rs 15 lakh[4]

  • March 2025: 255 Specialist doctors offered to join govt hospitals as per the bond signed by them at the time of admission[5]
  • 271 Specialists(MD/MS Doctors) hired on 16 Jan 2023[6]
  • 200 PG passouts(MD/MS Specilist Doctors) offered Govt Service under pre-admission signed bond[7]
  • Hiring of General MBBS & Emergency Doctors will also remove additional load from Specialist Doctors

4a. DNB positions created[7:1][8]

A total of 85 (DNB) seats have been approved in the 14 districts hospitals

  • DNB (Diplomate of National Board) is equivalent to MS/MD specialist Post graduate degree
  • 3 year residency course
  • To overcome the shortage of specialist doctors at various District Hospitals of Punjab

5. House Surgeons[7:2][9]

Salary increased from 30,000 only to 70,000 + accommodation etc

  • 300 House Surgeons already working
  • 'Earn While You Learn' program for MBBS graduates who serve Govt Hospitals
  • Also learn from Specialists/Medical College profs via online mode
  • Participate in 24*7 emergency services

6. Security Guards 24x7 across all government hospitals[10]

  • Proposal in progress
  • ~900 security personnel to be deployed
  • Strengthening security at 23 district hospitals, 42 sub-divisional hospitals and 65 community health centres (CHCs) that operate round the clock
  • Government to hire security personnel through PESCO (Punjab Ex-servicemen Corporation)

7. New bond policy for MBBS and BDS courses[11]

2 years in Govt job after completing their degrees or pay a bond of ₹20 lakh for students
-- 1 year for students admitted under the “All-India quota”

  • Applicable in state-run medical and dental colleges
  • Policy will come into effect from the academic session 2025-26

8. Mohalla Clinic doctors

  • 1 doctor for each clinic

Details:

References:

  1. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/career-progression-scheme-notified-doctors-call-off-stir/ ↩︎

  2. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/115674283.cms ↩︎

  3. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=180485 ↩︎

  4. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/legislators-raise-concern-over-doctor-shortage-485810/ ↩︎

  5. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/punjab-255-specialist-doctors-to-join-govt-hospitals-101742757515935.html ↩︎

  6. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/over-25-000-youths-got-govt-jobs-in-10-months-punjab-cm-mann-101673896467968.html ↩︎

  7. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=169457 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  8. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomate_of_National_Board ↩︎

  9. https://m.timesofindia.com/city/ludhiana/punjab-government-to-launch-earn-while-you-learn-program-to-meet-shortage-of-doctors-in-hospitals/articleshow/98756058.cms ↩︎

  10. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/punjab-proposal-for-hospital-security-hits-finance-dept-roadblock-101749411545794.html ↩︎

  11. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/doctors-shortage-punjab-govt-introduces-bond-policy-for-mbbs-bds-students-101750273601937.html ↩︎

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