Flight of AIIMS faculty: Centre steps in, says incentives soon

At least 75 faculty members have quit AIIMS over the past 10 years in what is being seen as a trend that8217;s bound to pick up given the increasing opportunities in the private sector.

Fast-tracking promotions, increasing salaries, giving faculty a slice of the research revenue pie, raising retirement age and increasing non-practising allowance: these are some of the key recommendations of a committee the Health Ministry is looking at implementing faced with the exit of senior faculty from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

At least 75 faculty members have quit AIIMS over the past 10 years8212;heads of neurosurgery and surgery and a professor of medicine being the latest8212;in what is being seen as a trend that8217;s bound to pick up given the increasing opportunities in the private sector.

8220;We are likely to implement most of the findings of the former Health Secretary Javed Choudhary committee like increasing salaries, streamlining the promotion system and also increasing the age of retirement for doctors. This includes doctors at AIIMS,8217;8217; Anbumani Ramadoss, Health Minister told The Indian Express today.

The committee, set up last September, admitted immediate steps to stem what it called a trend 8220;difficult to contain once it gains momentum.8221;

This was echoed by AIIMS director P. Venugopal today.

8220;The institute has been losing about six to seven faculty members every year since 1984-1985 after private players came into the field,8217;8217; he said. 8220;Since 1996, we have been asking the government to increase incentives for doctors in AIIMS. Anybody who is talented will go if offered 10 times more salary than what they are getting here,8217;8217; he added.

8216;8216;The doctors who stay back in AIIMS for the love of the people need to get some incentives. We can at least provide some tax benefits,8221; said Venugopal. While a doctor joining AIIMS faculty as Assistant Professor takes home Rs 20,000-Rs 25,000 including the Non Practising Allowance, professors retiring after 30 years of service don8217;t earn more than Rs 50,000. 8216;8216;Why will a person refuse a Rs 3-crore package per annum compared to the AIIMS salary?8217;8217; said Venugopal referring to one head of department8217;s reported new offer from a private hospital.

Javed Choudhary said: 8220;My committee is of the opinion that steps need to be taken immediately. Compared to other cadres, doctors are stagnating in low-grade posts. As most enter services late, especially the specialists, they don8217;t even enjoy full retirement benefits.8217;8217; The key recommendations of the panel:

8226; Increase Non Practising Allowance from 25 to 30

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8226; Increase age of retirement of Central Health Services from 60 to 62 years

8226; For AIIMS and PGI, Chandigarh, from 62 to 65 years.

8226; Add five years to the period of service so that doctors get retirement benefits.

8226; Give researchers share in the administrative part of research grants. Also give additional consultants8217; fee during research.

8226; 17 addl posts in Senior Admn Grade.

8226;

AIIMS Profs who quit in last 4 yrs

2002
Dr Rakesh Tandon: Head of Gastroenterology.
Dr Usha Sachdeva: Physiology
Dr Satish Jain: Neurology

2003
Dr P S N Menon: Pediatrics.

2004
Dr Kusum Kapila: Pathology.

2005
Dr G P Dureja: Anaesthesiology.
Dr Ramesh Dawar: Pathology.

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2006
Dr V S Mehta: Head of Neurosurgery
Dr S N Mehta: Head of Surgery.
Dr Anoop Misra: Medicine.

Behind the news 038; note of caution

Currently, the national estimate for HIV infections is 5.1 million.

The Lancet study shows:

8226; Prevalence of HIV-1 the most common variant of the virus in India fell in southern states from 1.7 to 1.18212;a relative reduction of 35.
8226; Means: Intervention and awareness programs at high-risk sex industry contributed 8220;to a drastic decline.8221;
8226; Likely cause: males using sex workers less or using condoms more often
8226; Caution: Trends in the north remain uncertain and poorly studied.