Odisha Govt raises retirement age of contractual doctors

Surjit Kumar Dhal,Bhubaneswar, June 20: Odisha Government has extended the retirement age of contractual doctors from 68 years to 70 years apparently in a bid to make it’s free healthcare service mission successful.

State Health Minister Naba Kishore Das announced this at the ongoing two-day ‘Annual Chief District Medical and Public Health Officers’ Conference on priority programmes and schemes under National Health Mission & State Budget’ since yesterday.

Das told reporters later that he has asked the department and the CDMOs to make a plan for filling up the vacant posts of doctors and para medical staff.

“Directive has been issued today to the CDMOs for making the contractual appointments by July 15. Let them talk to the retired doctors and take their consent,” he said.

The Minister said, “We have National Health Mission (NHM) funds for the purpose. Similarly, we have corpus funds for the KBK districts. The CDMOs can utilize for the purpose of appointing contractual doctors.”