Doctors asked to choose NPA or Private practice
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 02 2020: The State Cabinet may soon adopt a decision on granting non-practising allowance (NPA) again to doctors.

The NPA was recently withdrawn in the State.

Sources informed that the State Government would lay down certain conditions for granting NPA to doctors.

If any doctor should be granted NPA, it should be 20 per cent or if doctors opt not to take NPA, they would be allowed to practise privately but their private practice should not affect their normal duty as Government doctors.

The State Cabinet has already initiated steps to adopt a decision to this effect.

As such, doctors may choose either NPA or private practice and they may be asked to sign a bond in this regard, said the sources.

Under the Manipur Services (Revised Pay) Rules, 2010 (6th Pay), doctors were given 25 per cent of their basic pay as NPA since April 1, 2010 .

However, the Fitment Committee headed by the Chief Secretary as chairman held a meeting on January 16, 2018 and decided to stop payment of NPA to doctors.

The Fitment Committee's decision was endorsed by the State Cabinet at a meeting held on June 27, 2019.As a result, monthly salaries given to doctors as per the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission fell below the monthly salaries given under pre-revised ROP 2010 .

As the monthly salaries of doctors were affected, the All Manipur Health Services Doctors Association urged the State Government on July 28 last year and again on April 22 this year to revive NPA.

With the Government not paying any attention to their appeal, doctors launched protest agitation on May 1 by wearing black badges.

The association further announced that all surgical operations and OPD services would be suspended from May 5.In neighbouring Nagaland and Mizoram, doctors are given the Central NPA rate while doctors in Assam and Meghalaya are not given any NPA but allowed to practise privately, said the sources.

The State's total number of sanctioned posts are 20 in grade I, 151 in grade II, 675 in grade III and 1617 in grade IV .

Comment