By Express News Service
GUWAHATI: Public health services in Nagaland were partially affected on the second day of a three-day stir launched by the government doctors across the Northeast state. The Nagaland In-Service Doctors Association (NIDA) had told its members to go on casual leave en masse in protest against the government’s ‘failure’ to increase the retirement age from 60 years to 62 years.
While the NIDA had a meeting with Chief Secretary J Alam on Tuesday, details of the discussions were not known. Earlier in the day, NIDA president Dr E Phyantsuthung told this newspaper that the doctors, other than those assigned for emergency services, were not attending duties. “We will not relent unless the retirement age of all government doctors is raised to 62 years,” Dr Phyantsuthung said.
As over 500 regular and contractual doctors are staying away from duties, the government has turned to private doctors for help. But the move is unlikely to provide relief as there are only a small number of private hospitals in Nagaland. “The government has sought their help. It had a meeting with them two days ago,” Dr Phyantsuthung said.
The government had earlier warned that doctors going on agitation would face action under the provisions of Nagaland Government Servants Conduct Rules, 1968. It had also said that the salary of the agitating doctors would be deducted as per its policy of “no work, no pay”.