Former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has strongly condemned the decision of Himachal Pradesh government to withdraw Non Practicing Allowance (NPA) for Doctors recruited in the state government hospitals and demanded its restoration.
Talking to media persons at Mandi on Saturday he said, “The NPA for the doctors serving in the state government hospitals was notified in 1971; the main reason for giving the NPA was that the profession of doctors being noble required maintenance of ethics and needed to make their salaries attractive to check brain drain.”
Thakur said, “The NPA is being given by majority of states in India as it takes a lot of hard work and years of toil to become a doctor and a large number of young people from far flung areas belonging to poor families attain their MBBS degrees to serve the humanity and it is important to look after their economic needs.”
He said, “It’s strange the state Cabinet took a decision to withdraw the NPA on May 17 but the health minister despite being a Cabinet Minister is saying he is not aware about the decision.”
He said, “The state government has put the lives of thousands of patients seeking treatment in the government hospitals in danger by the decisions and accused certain IAS officers for misleading the state government on the issue.”
Thakur has demanded immediate restoration of the NPA and assured every help to agitating doctors.