Doctors say no to increase in professors retirement age

​Hyderabad: The decision to enhance retirement age for Professors in teaching hospitals from 58 to 65 years is leading to a major controversy with doctors’ community raising a banner of revolt against the State government. 

Opposing the government’s move, the Assistant Professors and Associate Professors at the Gandhi Hospital staged a protest on hospital premises on Wednesday. They threatened to go on indefinite hunger strike from June 2, which happens to be Telangana Formation Day, if the decision was not withdrawn.

Doctors are of the view that extending retirement age for Professors meant putting brakes on promotions from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor and Associate Professor to Professor for the next seven years, thus depriving career growth of the eligible faculty.

“For the benefit of just 250 Professors, nearly 3,000 doctors would suffer which is not fair,” said the agitating doctors, owing allegiance to TGDA (Telangana Government Doctors Association)

Initially, Gandhi doctors planned to submit a petition to Governor ESL Narasimhan highlighting the negative consequences that would arise out of enhancing the  retirement age. They planned to take a car rally from Gandhi Hospital to Raj Bhavan. But, police coaxed them to drop the plan and instead go as a delegation to meet the Governor. 

Accordingly, an eight-member team met Governor before noon and explained their reservations. Doctors said that Governor did not give any assurance but asked them to pursue the matter with higher officials in the government. Doctors said they were disappointed with the outcome of the meeting and hence, the protest was held at Gandhi hospital in the afternoon.

Dr D Ramesh, president, TGDA Gandhi Hospital unit, said that government decision was against spirit and slogan of Statehood movement which was “Neellu-Nidhulu-Niyaamakalu”. Instead of going for fresh recruitments, government is acting in a manner to please a handful of Professors, who are on the verge of retirement, he fumed.

Doctors fraternity took objection to a false hype created for some time that retirement of Professors would lead to derecognition of MBBS and PG seats. However, there is enough faculty with sufficient expertise, eligibility and waiting for promotion to overcome the derecognition problem.

Dr G Vasanth Kumar, general secretary, TGDA Gandhi unit said that 99 per cent of teaching faculty at the hospital, which comes to 306 doctors, was opposing the government decision. Another reason being highlighted majorly, apart from delayed promotion, is continuation of night shift duties for 15 to 20 years if the decision is implemented.

“It is the Assistant Professors who are on night shift duties until they get promoted to Associate category. With no regular promotions, Assistant Professors are on night duty for nearly 10 years sometimes. If a Professor’s retirement age is increased, there would be no promotion which means Assistant Professor would have to continue the night duty shift for another five to seven years, which is not good for health,” a doctor, who did not wish to be named, said.