The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Increase in retirement age of doctors Ample specialists available, move political, say experts Amaninder Pal Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 29 The proposal of an increase in the retirement age of doctors has left thousands of unemployed doctors in the state high and dry as the prevailing sentiment is that the move would only hamper employment opportunities of fresh medical graduates. Dearth of medical graduates across the state is being cited as the sole reason behind the move. But the data available with the Punjab Medical Council point the other way. As per data collected by The Tribune, 9,386 medicos have registered themselves with the PMC from January 1999 to March 2010. The claim of low availability of doctors in the state sounds hollow, as only 2,000 doctors were recruited during this period. As many as 250 medical officers were recruited in 1999. Nearly 1,300 medicos were recruited as “service providers”, but only on a contract basis in 2006, through the Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj to work in rural dispensaries. A few doctors were recruited in the state medical colleges during the past 10 years. The latest recruitment of 312 doctors through the PPSC has already come under scanner due to large-scale corruption during the recruitment process. “Claims of unavailability of doctors hold no weight. The advertised posts were always lesser than the number of doctors. This new move is just aimed at providing benefits to only the close aides of politicians and bureaucracy,” said Punjab Civil Medical Services Association president Dr Hardeep Singh. Even the logic of retaining only specialist doctors by increasing their retirement age does not go well in the medical circles. “For the past 10 years, medical colleges have been producing nearly 250 specialist doctors every year, which means that more than 2,500 specialist doctors are available in the state. The number rises if doctors who have done specialisation from other states are added to the list. Is this number insufficient to fill 600 to 700 posts of specialists?” asks former Registrar of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences and former Joint Director of Department of Medical Education and Research, Dr Piyare Lal Garg. “The actual problem is that the government is not ready to create a separate cadre and pay scales for specialist doctors. Why would specialists work on a pay scale similar to that of general doctors? That is why specialists prefer to work in the private sector,” he added. “Moreover, most of the administrative posts in the department are occupied by specialist doctors. How can clinical services be made better by retaining those doctors who are just supervising the administrative functioning of the department?” questions Dr Garg. Facts to look at n 9,386 medicos registered themselves with the PMC from January 1999 to March 2010, only 2,000 doctors were recruited n 250 medical officers were recruited in 1999 n 1,300 were recruited as “service providers”, but only on contractual basis in 2006 n Latest recruitment of 312 doctors through PPSC already under the scanner n Medical institutions producing nearly 250 specialist docs every year, which means more than 2,500 specialist docs are available in the state
	Bank manager, Health Dept clerk held for graft Tribune Reporters Jalandhar, April 29 The local wing of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) arrested a Manager of Primary Agriculture Development Bank, Shahkot, for taking a bribe of Rs 2,000 from a resident of Khalewal village, near here, today. Ravinder Pal Singh, DSP (VB), said the Manager, Balbir Chand Sharma, was caught accepting the gratification money from Suba Singh in his office. In his complaint to the VB, Suba Singh had alleged that Balbir was demanding Rs 2,000 from him for the release of the second instalment of Rs 1.40 lakh of house loan that he had taken from the bank. Suba Singh alleged that Sharma was not releasing the money and demanding gratification money. The complainant complained to the VB, following which a trap was laid to nab the officer. A case under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against. Tarn Taran: Raj Kumar, a senior assistant in the Health Department, was nabbed by the Vigilance Bureau near the local bus stand today when he was accepting a bribe of Rs 8,500 from ANM Sunita Kumari. Vigilance DSP Paramjit Singh Virk said a case under sections 13(3) and 67 of the Prevention of Corruption Act had been registered against the accused. The DSP said Raj Kumar, posted at Primary Health Centre, Dabwala (Ferozepore), had been demanding a bribe of Rs 10,000 for releasing the monthly salary of Sunita Rani for the period during which she worked at Dabwala. Raj Kumar had come here to take the bribe. As soon as he handed over a cheque for Rs 35,225 to Sunita and took the bribe of Rs 8,500 from her, the Vigilance team caught him red-handed in the presence of shadow witnesses.
	Foetus recovered from Civil Hospital Our Correspondent Batala, April 29 The recovery of a dead foetus, about seven months old, from a bathroom of the Civil Hospital here created a flutter in the hospital. A sweeper discovered a pack containing the dead foetus. She brought this to the knowledge of Senior Medical Officer Dr Mohinder Singh, who reported the matter to the police. In the meantime, the police has taken control of the dead foetus and sent the same for a post-mortem examination. Batala SHO Tajinder Singh said here today that the police had registered a case under sections 316 and 318 of the IPC. The SMO rubbished speculations that the abortion might have been done in connivance with staff of the hospital.
	CIA man goes missing Our Correspondent Nawanshahr, April 29 Sukhdev, an employee of the local CIA staff, has been missing under mysterious circumstances since Thursday morning. Sukhdev had gone to his village Bains after completing his duty on Wednesday evening and he had to report at the CIA staff at 5 am on Thursday. When, he did not reach there, two cops were sent to his village for bringing him to the office. But when they reached there, they were told by his family members that he had already left for the duty early in the morning. Then, the CIA staff members started searching for him on the way. They found his motorcycle lying near a canal on the Nawanshahr-Jalandhar highway. The police also recovered his service revolver and mobile phone from the site. “The police has been working on different theories to investigate the case,” said Dr Narinder Bhargav, SSP.
	Residents protest against police inaction P.K. Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 29 A number of residents of the Gumtala area today blocked traffic in protest against the inaction of the police in arresting the accused responsible for killing Sukhdev Singh (34), driver of a SAD leader, who allegedly had illicit relations with a girl of the area. Sukhdev was beaten to death by the family of the girl which later poisoned him forcibly to make it look like a case of suicide. The police had to fire in the air and resort to lathicharge to disperse the agitating crowd. The Sadar police has registered a case under the relevant sections of the IPC, while two persons have been arrested in this regard. Those booked include Baldev Singh, Shammi, Sukha, Daljit Kaur and other unidentified persons. Gurmit Kaur, wife of the deceased, alleged that they had named six persons in the FIR but the police registered the names of only two persons of the girl’s family. They held a protest dharna on the Gumtala bypass road demanding immediate arrest of the accused. The protesters turned violent when SAD leader Harjit Singh Gumtala passed through the area. Sources said they threw stones at him. Congress councillor Gurjit Aujla, who was at the spot, said residents got agitated due to the failure of the police in arresting the culprits. He said the police should take action against the cops responsible for negligence in nabbing the culprits. Commissioner of Police Varinder Kumar, when contacted, said they were investigating the role of the erring police officials. He said the case was registered as per the statements of the deceased’s family.
	Abducted child recovered in hours; 2 held Ashok Kaura Phillaur, April 29 In a dual success, the Phillaur Police today recovered a one and a half year old child within three hours of his abduction and arrested two members of a gang of child abductors and sellers. Two accused, identified as Madan Lal and Sukhwinder Kumar, both residents of Noormahal, used to sell these abducted kids to issueless couples. Detailing the incident, DIG (Jalandhar Range) Sharad Satya Chauhan said Madan Lal visited Jathere Joshian, a shrine, on the outskirts of Bilga in Phillaur, whose caretaker Dil Ram was residing along with his family on shrine’s backside. After paying obeisance at the shrine, Madan entered the premises of Dil Ram’s house in his absence. Madan enquired about Dil Ram from his wife Parwati and later abducted the kid after locking her in the bathroom when she was attending to her other child. His accomplice Sukhwinder was waiting for him on a motorcycle somewhere near the shrine. Parwati somehow managed to cut the window net in the bathroom after which she came out and contacted her nearby relatives. The DIG said both the accused went to Zandiala, from where Madan with the child took a bus for Goraya. Sukhwinder, who was known to the family of Dil Ram, reached Bilga to console the family. Dil Ram informed the Bilga Police, which sounded a high alert, following which nakas were put up at various places including bus stands. At Rurrka Kalan bus stand, ASI Harjit Singh of the Goraya Police got suspicious seeing a man with the child in the bus. He enquired and nabbed Madan Lal. The accused confessed to his crime and disclosed that Sukhwinder was his accomplice. Both conspired and abducted the child to sell him to an issueless couple to earn money. The DIG disclosed that the gang members remained in search of small kids and had made lot of money by selling the kids to issueless couples. When asked about any possibilities of the involvement of some nursing homeowners and midwives, the DIG did not rule out the possibility.