Kohima: Days after the Nagaland government announced its decision to raise the superannuation age of all medical doctors, including AYUSH and dental doctors, from 60 to 62 years of age through re-employment following a stir by the Nagaland In-Service Doctors’ Association (NIDA), the state government has issued a gag order to all its employees from communicating with the media and the public.
An official update from the state government notified that the Health & Family Welfare Department issued an order inviting attention to Nagaland Government Servant (Conduct) Rules, 1958 which prohibits the government servants from broadcasting or publishing or any communication to the press, or public utterance of any statement of fact or opinion that is not connected with the discharge of official duty, without prior government sanction.
Doctors in government service have been warned to take note of the order and refrain from engaging in any activity or communication, which will be a violation of the Nagaland Government Servant (Conduct) Rules, 1968.
Any violation of the same shall attract disciplinary proceedings against government servants under the conduct rules, it said.
The government agreed to the superannuation age through re-employment for consultants, senior consultants, and specialists to work in the hospitals and clinics where the willing superannuating medical officers opting for the extension will be allowed to join without interview but will be screened for physical fitness and so on.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet had also recently taken the decision to create 60 new posts, including 1 post of Director, 1 post of Medical Superintendent, 6 posts of Professor, 22 posts of Associate Professor and 25 posts of Tutors/Senior Residents for Medical College at Kohima.
It informed that the faculty can be engaged against these posts, beyond the normal superannuation age, on re-employment basis by the NIMSR Society (which was constituted earlier during the year for Kohima Medical College) up to 65 years.
Furthermore, in exceptional circumstances where such skills are not otherwise available, appointments may be made beyond 65 years and up to 70 years.
The government decided that medical officers who want to serve the public further through government hospitals or teaching hospitals will be allowed to continue to do so up to 62 years and 70 years, respectively.
While the government will not in any way block promotional avenues of any of the junior officers, it also assured that it will not in any way block recruitment posts for new graduate and PG doctors.
It was also informed that the NPSC has been requested to take up recruitment against 108 requisitioned posts expeditiously even though almost all the posts are currently manned by doctors engaged on contractual basis.
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