Punjab government revises postgraduate quota policy to attract and retain young docs
Chandigarh: In a significant move aimed at addressing the growing shortage of doctors and retaining young talent in the public healthcare system, the Punjab govt has extended the postgraduate (PG) quota benefits to Emergency Medical Officers (EMOs) and Jail Medical Officers (MOs).
This benefit, which was previously unavailable to doctors in these roles, is expected to attract more young professionals to govt service and alleviate the pressure on specialists, who are often required to take on non-specialist duties such as managing general emergencies, conducting post-mortems, and performing medico-legal examinations.
The govt has also revised the categorisation of health institutions for the purposes of extending the PG quota benefits.
This revision, which comes after more than five years, is designed to streamline the allocation of benefits and ensure a fair distribution of incentives.
Under the new categorisation, all doctors serving in jails across the state, as well as those who serve or served as EMOs in district hospitals and sub-divisional hospitals, will now be included in the "difficult" category. This category comprises healthcare institutions located outside a 20-kilometre radius of municipal corporations or committees in major cities like Amritsar, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, and Mohali, as well as those outside a 10-kilometre radius in the remaining 17 districts.
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The categorisation is designed to recognise the challenges faced by medical professionals working in less accessible areas. Additionally, health institutions within a 20-kilometre radius of municipal corporation limits in the six metropolitan cities will now be categorised as "normal". Meanwhile, institutions located in border areas near the international border and in Kandi areas, as well as those in aspirational districts and blocks identified by NITI Aayog, will be classified under the "more difficult" category.
Importantly, the benefits accrued for services rendered by PCMS doctors in these difficult or more difficult areas before 1 April 2025 will remain unaffected. These benefits will continue to be granted as per the prevailing policy in force during the period of service.
The Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) has warmly welcomed the govt's decision to revise the PG policy. Dr Akhil Sarin, president of PCMSA, expressed strong support for the move, stating that this initiative will be a "game-changer" in the govt's efforts to attract young MBBS graduates to the public health cadre.
The reservation of seats in medical colleges/institutions for respective categories will be in accordance with the applicable laws prevailing in the states. An all-India merit list, as well as a state-wise merit list of eligible candidates, will be prepared based on the marks obtained in the NEET exam. Candidates will be admitted to postgraduate courses solely from these merit lists. For candidates who are already in govt service, the govt will provide a weightage in the marks as an incentive.
This weightage will be up to 10% of the marks obtained for each year of service in remote, difficult, or rural areas, with a maximum weightage of 30% of the marks obtained in NEET. The remote, difficult, or rural areas will be defined and notified by the state govt.
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