SUBHASH MISHRA
Ranchi, June 28: The newly formed Jharkhand Medical Association (JMA), a body of state government doctors, will welcome AYUSH and Homoeopathy practitioners as members.
JMA founder president Dr. Sidheswar Baskey announced this on Saturday, stating that these doctors are also part of the government health services and therefore deserve equal representation.
“JMA has been created for the welfare of all government doctors, and AYUSH and Homoeopath doctors are an integral part of that system,” said Dr. Baskey.
Notably, the existing Jharkhand State Health Services Association (JSHSA) does not include AYUSH and Homoeopathy doctors in its membership.
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JMA Denies Being a Rival Body
Dr. Baskey rejected the claim that JMA is a parallel body to JSHSA. He alleged that JSHSA is controlled by just four doctors from Ranchi Sadar Hospital and lacks fair representation from other districts. “JMA was formed to give voice and representation to medical officers from all 24 districts of the state,” he said.
Dr. Baskey, who is posted at Ranchi Sadar Hospital, had contested the JSHSA convener post in the January 20, 2025, election but was defeated by Dr. Sharad Kumar from Deoghar. Subsequently, he launched the JMA on February 1 to address what he called systemic gaps in district-level inclusion.
Membership Drive and State-Level Outreach Underway
So far, 155 medical officers have registered online for JMA membership. Dr. Baskey said he has written twice to the Chief Minister about the formation of the new body and is awaiting his return from Delhi to discuss the implementation of welfare programs for government doctors.
On June 16, JMA submitted a letter to the Chief Minister listing seven key demands. These include timely implementation of the Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP), choice postings for rural medical officers, and payment of 13 months’ salary for those providing emergency services.
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Plans for Official Recognition and Launch in August
Dr. Baskey confirmed that the association has applied for official registration and hopes to begin functioning formally from August. He criticized the current JSHSA executive committee, stating that it has overlooked several districts in its formation.
“Dhanbad, which has 115 voters—the second highest after Ranchi’s 168—has no representation in the executive committee,” he said. He also alleged that JSHSA’s leadership is more focused on securing transfer postings for selected doctors rather than working for the collective welfare of all medical officers.
