Jagjit Bajwa

With the Punjab government looking to improve health services by optimising the use of available resources through rationalisation, doctors of rural development and panchayats department have raised the red flag over the contentious issue of their long pending demands.

After failing to draw the attention of the previous Punjab governments, the rural medical officers (RMO) are looking at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for rejuvenating the ignored rural healthcare system of the state and redressal of their long-pending issues.

Expressing solidarity with the farmers protesting against the three farm laws, Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) doctors held gate rallies in all the government hospitals of the state.

At a time when Covid-19 is spreading at an alarming rate in Punjab, the rift between rural medical officers (RMOs) and health department has widened, and many of them have stopped performing duties assigned for controlling the virus, affecting the containment work.

Rural Medical Officers (RMOs) in Punjab have demanded inclusion in the Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP) scheme and pay parity, citing nearly two decades of service in challenging rural conditions. The RMOs, excluded from DACP benefits, plan to protest from February 1 if grievances remain unaddressed. While the government recently reinstated the ACP scheme for PCMSA with modifications, RMOs argue for equitable recognition to bolster rural healthcare and ensure fair treatment.

Rural medical officers (RMOs) of the panchayat department have locked horns with the Punjab health department, accusing it of discrimination and favouring their doctors while distributing Covid-19 related duties.

The people in the rural areas of Punjab are facing a double whammy in the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic. Already lagging in health facilities, the population in these areas are being deprived of basic health care facilities as doctors posted in rural dispensaries have been assigned Covid-19 duties.

With Punjab going to further ease the lockdown restrictions, the infection rate of Covid-19 is expected to increase and health experts fear that things can go wrong if the pandemic spreads out in the most vulnerable group, people having non-communicable diseases (NCDs).