By IANS,
New Delhi: As many as 121 doctors have left premier government hospitals, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Safdarjung Hospital, to join private hospitals in the last three years, the Rajya Sabha was informed Tuesday.
As many as 14 doctors left AIIMS, which caters to almost 8,000 patients every day, since 2008, said Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in a written reply.
The minister said 14 doctors left the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore.
NIMHANS was last year declared as an institute of national importance enabling it to develop patterns of teaching, with the flexibility to device new courses. This put it at par with the AIIMS.
While seven doctors each left the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh (PGIMER) and Jawahar Lal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, Puducheery, six government doctors left the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi to join private hospitals, Azad said.
The others are – Lady Hardinge Medical College and Associated Hospitals (4), North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Science in Shillong (3), Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal (3) and Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi (1).
Azad said 62 doctors from other central health services have left to join private hospitals in the country.
The minister said they are taking various steps to “retain the best talent” in the government sector.
He said they have raised the superannuation age of teaching specialists to 65 from 62 years, also raised the superannuation age of non-teaching and public health specialists of Central Health Service to 62 years from 60 years.
Also, the sixth pay commission brought about an overall improvement in remuneration of doctors, Azad added.
“These measures have been taken during the last two-three years and are beginning to yield result towards retaining the doctors-specialists in government hospitals and institutions,” the minister said.