Doctor hiring in Punjab: Investment in Talent and Retentions

Last Updated: 21 Jan 2024

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

Initiatives:

1.New Policy for PG benefits
2.Additional incentives for rural areads
3.Creation of New posts to reduce load
4.New Specialist courses & offered Govt Service under pre-admission signed bond
5. Increased Salary from 30k to 70k for House Surgeons

1. Started Career progression scheme[1]

  • 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

Hiring of General MBBS & Emergency Doctors will also remove additional load from Specialist Doctors

  • 271 Specialists(MD/MS Doctors) hired on 16 Jan 2023[4]
  • 200 PG passouts(MD/MS Specilist Doctors) offered Govt Service under pre-admission signed bond[5]

4a. DNB positions created[5:1][6]

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[5:2][7]

Salary increased from 30,000 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. 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.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/over-25-000-youths-got-govt-jobs-in-10-months-punjab-cm-mann-101673896467968.html ↩︎

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

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

  7. 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 ↩︎