Mohalla Clinic Doctors: A group of doctors working at Mohalla Clinics in Delhi met with the Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta earlier this week. They wanted help and support because they are worried about losing their jobs due to the new hiring system under the Ayushman Arogya Mandir project. This meeting happened after the government announced changes in the recruitment policy, which doctors say might affect over 500 of them and more than 1,500 other workers like nurses, pharmacists, and helpers, The Week reported.
During the meeting, the doctors told the Speaker that even though earlier promises were made by the chief minister and the health minister saying that no one would lose their job during the change, now there is no written policy to protect the people already working in the system.
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The doctors said they had seen the new MoU, and it only gives an extension of up to one year. After that, they fear a mass removal of current staff and new hiring will take place. They also said the new rules for choosing workers are unfair, especially because of the age limit.
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“There is an acute shortage of doctors in the current system. Clinics are forced to shut down when staff go on short or long leave, as there is no replacement available,” Doctor Ramesh Bansal, the delegation’s spokesperson, said.
“We welcome the upgradation of facilities and the rebranding as Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, but it should not come at the cost of our employment,” he added.
They said that most of them were chosen based on merit, through an exam held by the Delhi government back in 2018. None of them got the job through political help or any unfair way, they said.
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They gave the Speaker full documents that explain how they were hired and what the current system looks like. The doctors also showed old letters and talks they had with the Delhi government to back up their claims.
The Speaker, after hearing everything, promised to help. He said he will talk to the chief minister, the health minister, and other officials about it. He also told them that the final decision about the new hiring system under Ayushman Arogya Mandir has not been made yet, so there’s still hope things could change.
