SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, June 19: The Jharkhand State Health Services Association (JSHSA), the leading body representing state government medical officers, is set to meet the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the Health Department to demand travel allowance (TA) and daily allowance (DA) for doctors deputed during the month-long Deoghar-Basukinath Shrawani Mela.
Doctors were entitled to TA/DA during the Shrawani Mela in the erstwhile state of Bihar, but the provision was discontinued after Jharkhand was carved out as a separate state.
Demands Backed by Past Assurances
JSHSA President Dr. Bimlesh Singh and Secretary Dr. Thakur Mritunjay Kumar Singh said the delegation would press for the implementation of TA/DA based on assurances given in the past.
“ACS Health Ajay Kumar Singh accepted the demand on September 2, 2024, and before him, then ACS Arun Kumar Singh had also committed to resolving the issue in 2023,” they said.
This year, Shrawani Mela will be held from July 11 to August 9, during which nearly 210 doctors will be deployed to serve the large number of visiting devotees.
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Decades-Long Demand and Difficult Working Conditions
Both JSHSA and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) have been demanding TA/DA for doctors on mela duty since 2001. Dr. Sumant Mishra, JSHSA’s founding secretary and former Director-in-Chief of Health, said, “I was deputed to Shrawani Mela in 2017, and the experience was nightmarish. TA/DA is a natural and justified demand.”
IMA founding secretary Dr. Ajoy Kumar Singh emphasized that while doctors are bound by rules to accept deputation, it is the government’s responsibility to ensure they are compensated fairly. “Doctors need TA/DA to manage food and lodging, just like any other deputed personnel,” he stated.
Four-Point Demand to Be Presented
According to Dr. Thakur Mritunjay Kumar Singh, the delegation will place the following four demands before the ACS Health:
- Rotation in Deployment: Doctors deployed to Shrawani Mela should be rotated annually. If one batch is deputed in 2025, a different batch should be considered in 2026 to ensure fair distribution of duty.
- Exemption for Senior Officials: Doctors above 60 years of age, civil surgeons, deputy superintendents, medical officers-in-charge, and programme officers should be exempted from mela duty.
- Provision of Food and Lodging: Deputed doctors should be provided food and accommodation based on seniority, similar to administrative officers assigned to the mela.
- Advance TA/DA Payment: Since the duty is part of emergency services, doctors should be paid TA/DA in advance, as is done for police personnel on similar deputation.
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Call for Better Living Conditions
Dr. Thakur argued that doctors should receive advance TA/DA like police personnel, as their services fall under emergency duty. “Given the challenging conditions, this support is essential,” he said.
A senior medical officer who served during last year’s Shrawani Mela echoed these concerns. “I was crammed into a room with four other doctors, with no basic amenities. The working conditions were extremely poor,” he recalled.
The JSHSA is hopeful that the upcoming meeting with the ACS Health will result in concrete action on their long-pending demands.
