The Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association (SDPGA) has requested the State government to permit doctors aged 58 to voluntarily retire.
A lesser age limit could be permitted for doctors who have completed 25 years of service and have medical conditions to opt for voluntary retirement, the association said in a letter to the Minister for Medical and Family Welfare.
The retirement age for government employees was extended to 59, from 58, and later to from 59 years to 60, leading to a stagnation in promotional opportunities for doctors in the State government service. A large number of doctors with co-morbidities and old age are being retained in service, P. Saminathan, the association’s president, said. “There has been a visible increase in the number of doctors on duty exemption. This has finally led to a decrease in the actual number of doctors working on the field regularly and being deployed for COVID-19 work. There is a high risk of senior doctors with co-morbidities contracting COVID-19, leading to a higher risk of loss of life,” he said.
When doctors are permitted to opt for voluntary retirement, there will be an active workforce managing COVID-19 safely. More doctors can be recruited so that the problem of a lack of doctors for COVID-19 work will also be resolved to an extent, he added.
