Chandigarh: Admin succumbs to pressure, doctors on deputation get 1-year extension

The doctors, under a ‘Joint Action Committee’, said that the GMSH-16 has made good progress over the years, partly due to the efforts put in by the medicos who have been working there for years.

The doctors in question had earlier also met BJP leaders, including Sanjay Tandon, who in turn had met UT Administrator, Banwarilal Purohit, on Thursday and apprised him of the concerns and the grievances of the medicos. Following this Purohit on Friday ordered an extension in their tenure.

Contacted, Chandigarh Health Secretary, Yashpal Garg, confirmed the extension and said, “Yes their tenure has been extended by one year.” Prodded about the grounds on which the tenure of doctors might have been extended, the Health Secretary refused to comment.

Ever since the orders of repatriation, doctors on deputation have publicly expressed their disgruntlement, while trying several means to get the orders revoked.
On Friday, former BJP former Chief Sanjay Tandon took credit for revocation of the order, with a statement by his party stating, “The doctors’ delegation expressed gratitude for providing them relief. Sanjay Tandon had met the UT Administrator Banwari Lal Purohit on Thursday and apprised him of the issue. The
Administrator has now assured that the doctors will not be sent back for a year.”

At least 112 doctors, who have been on deputation in Chandigarh, from Punjab and Haryana, had sought another extension in their tenure from the Chandigarh Administration after the UT Health Secretary had launched a crackdown earlier this month and termed the overstaying of doctors as a “gross violation of instructions”, while ordering their repatriation to their parent state in a staggered manner.

Of the 112 doctors seeking extension, 18 are in the bracket of completing 15 to 20 years in Chandigarh, 20 in the bracket of completing 10 to 15 years, 30 in the bracket of completing seven to 10 years, while four have already completed 20 years in Chandigarh.

While launching his crackdown, Garg had stated that normally, the deputation period of doctors is of three years which may further be extended upto five years in certain cases and in exceptional circumstances upto 7 years.

He had also quoted instances where doctors have continued deputation for even 25 years to 30 years and a “need to break this cycle/nexus and start relieving doctors on completion of deputation tenure and properly pursue for the panels from Punjab and Haryana.”