Time scale scheme unlikely to end JNIMS issue
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 16 2018:
Time scale promotion scheme being prepared by JNIMS authority with regard to the demand of Senior Resident doctors for promotion and career advancement avenues is unlikely to solve the issue as the scheme has certain lapses.
A service rule of JNIMS was put in effect since August 1, 2015.Even though it encompasses around 300 doctors, it left out 77 Senior Resident doctors.
The 77 Senior Resident doctors joined service at JNIMS in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015 in batches.
For the past nine years, they have not not been given any promotion or career advancement benefit, sources informed.
Out of the 77 Senior Resident doctors presently working at JNIMS, 35 are eligible for promotion to Assistant Professor as per MCI guidelines.
With the Senior Resident doctors restoring to different forms of agitation on and off demanding promotion and career advancement benefits, JNIMS has been reportedly preparing a time scale promotion scheme in the line of a similar scheme presently applied at RIMS.
The scheme was deliberated at a Cabinet meeting held on December 4 but it is not yet clear whether the scheme was approved or deferred by the Cabinet, said the sources.
On the other hand, a special emergency meeting of JNIMS Teachers' Association was held on December 14 and deliberated on their future course of agitation.
The time scale promotion scheme being prepared by JNIMS authority proposes promotion of not more than 50 per cent of the eligible Senior Residents/Tutors/Demonstrators/Lady Medical officers to Assistant Professor in a year.
But the agitating Senior Resident doctors are not at all receptive to the proposal.
Notably, the time scale promotion scheme applied at RIMS does not mention the word 'eligible', it is vividly mentioned in the time scale promotion scheme being prepared for JNIMS.
They said that addition of the word 'eligible' changes the entire meaning of the time scale promotion scheme.
Pointing out that they are not covered by the JNIMS service rules, the Senior resident doctors have been demanding one-time relaxation and accommodate the eligible among them for promotion to Assistant Professor.
When the eligible 35 Senior Resident doctors are promoted to Assistant Professor, their monthly salary would rise by just around Rs 1200 and the annual additional expenditure would be just around Rs 10.5 lakh.
However, if the 24 vacant posts of Assistant Professor are filled up through direct recruitment, the State would be compelled to spend Rs 2.5 crore annually in paying their salaries, said the sources.
The sources said that the time scale promotion scheme being prepared by the JNIMS authority would not be able to address the problem of Senior Resident doctors effectively.
Even if 50 per cent of the 35 eligible Senior Resident doctors are promoted to Assistant Professor in a year, half of the remaining doctors would be promoted next and another half next year and so on.
Thus it would take a long time to promote all the eligible candidates to Assistant Professor.
The issue would only get complicated if one takes into account the factor of seniority, they said.
At RIMS, PG seats are reserved for Senior Resident doctors who have not completed PG course.
And if there is any Senior Resident doctor in any department who is eligible for promotion to Assistant Professor, they are duly promoted without holding any fresh DPC.
Although these systems are suggested to JNIMS authority from time to time, the authority paid little attention, they lamented.
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