Jharkhand: 3 medical colleges protest on dynamic accelerated compulsory promotion

Jharkhand: Standing tall against the non-implementation of dynamic accelerated compulsory promotion (DACP), that will push their salaries up by 40-50%, teachers of three state medical colleges have decided to stage a protest in the month of May.

Teachers of three medical colleges include lecturers and professors of Patliputra Medical College (PMCH), Rajendra Institute of Medical Science in Ranchi and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial in Jamshedpur. A recent round of discussion took places among them, after which they have decided to send a delegation to the health secretary first. the future course of action depends upon the talks between them, that is, if the talks fail then the agitation will be staged.

Leena Singh, secretary of Jharkhand Medical Teachers Association, told TOI that lecturers of a degree college get 30-40% more salary than the lecturers of state medical colleges. "DACP was supposed to be implemented in 2008. It has been implemented in other states but here the file is still pending with the health secretary," she said.

The protesters have in addition implied that there will be no co-operation extended for the MCI inspection of the colleges. Singh alsosaid " it is a humiliating fact for us that even though we work hard to become lecturers, we don’t get what we deserve as a pay. Our salary is even less than a lecturer of a normal degree college. We don’t understand the delay in implementation of DACP even though it has got requisite approval from the cabinet and the finance department. Bihar implemented in 2008 and we are still sitting on it. We will report strike, and are prepared for adverse circumstances like suspension, or termination."

PMCH principal Arun Kumar has extended his full sympathy and support with the teachers on the cause. He himself is deprived of DACP, and feels it is injustice to them.

Principal health secretary K Vidyasagar said he did not have any information about the agitation. However, he said, "Everyone knows that it (DACP) is in the final stage of approval. In fact, Rims DACP meeting for final approval is on Wednesday. For other colleges, the meetings will be next week or a week after that."