Photo Source: Babushahi Bureau
Punjab Senior Vets condemn withdrawal of NPA to HP doctors
Harshabab Sidhu
Ludhiana, May 27, 2023: The Punjab Senior Vets Association in an emergency meeting held here today strongly condemned the newly formed Himachal Pradesh government for its ill-conceived decision to withdraw the facility of Non-Practicing Allowance to the medical doctors, Veterinarians, Ayurvedic and Homoeopathic doctors to be appointed in future in HP.
Dr. Gurinder Singh Walia, Member of the Punjab State Veterinary Council and former Joint Director of Animal Husbandry Punjab said that this decision of the HP government was bad in law and would not stand the scrutiny of court.
Moreover, the facility of NPA was granted to doctors to compensate them for their longer study period, and late entry to service, and to prevent brain drain.
Already medical and Vet doctors were immigrating to foreign countries due to the lack of facilities here and stepmotherly treatment with them by bureaucracy. This step, Dr. Walia averred, would sound the death knell for health and Animal Husbandry services in the state which was already facing a shortage of doctors.
Dr. Nitin Kumar former CEO of Punjab Gau Sewa Commission, Dr Sanjeev Khosla former Director of Animal Husbandry Punjab, Dr Bimal Sharma, Principal Government Veterinary Polytechnic, Kaljharani, Dr Desh Deepak Goyal former Deputy Director Statistics and Dr KPS Pasricha former Deputy Director Poultry development expressed solidarity with Himachal doctors of different streams who were up against the government for withdrawal of NPA facility to Veterinary and Medical doctors recruited henceforth.
All executive members of the Senior Vets Association resolved to stand by their counterparts in the neighboring state of HP and to take up their cases at every possible stage.
Meanwhile, Dr. Walia urged the Himachal Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu to see the reason and direct the Finance Department to withdraw the impugned notification.