Panjab Faces Doctor Shortages Amid Strikes & Protests

Amid poor pay scales, limited career advancement, and competition from higher-paying private facilities, Panjab’s government hospitals are struggling to retain doctors and specialists. Although the AAP administration advertises a robust health infrastructure, nearly 40% of medical officer posts and 45% of specialist posts lie vacant. Even the largest-ever recruitment drive, offering 400 positions for MBBS doctors, saw only 304 appointment letters issued, with 100 appointees not joining. Over the past 13 years, about 2.7K medical officers have been hired; however, more than 700 have since resigned. Medical professionals note that Panjab revoked the assured career progression system in 2021, unlike Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan, where promotions follow 4, 9, and 14 years of service. The Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) announced on 16 Jan that around 2.5K doctors in the PCMSA would resume their strike from 20 Jan, citing the govt.’s failure to fulfil written promises made after their September 2024 agitation (WD Vol 2, Issue 38, Story 5). Their demands include regular recruitment to address manpower shortages and the restoration of the Dynamic Assured Career Progression scheme for doctors. However, on 19 Jan, the PCMSA decided to defer the strike until 23 Feb following a round of ‘fruitful deliberations’ with officials of the health department. Meanwhile, chemists in Bathinda kept their medical stores closed on 18-19 Jan, protesting the police and health department’s recent raids on local pharmacies and the arrest of a staff member in Rama Mandi for allegedly possessing expired medicine strips. The protests, organised by the District Chemists Association, began on 17 Jan with a sit-in near Mall Road Chowk and moved to Hanuman Chowk on 18 Jan, where Aam Aadmi Party MLA Jagroop Singh Gill intervened. Gill pledged that the police administration would withdraw the case by 20 Jan, prompting the protestors to disperse.