The Nagaland state unit of the National People’s Party (NPP) has expressed support to the agitating Nagaland state government doctors under the banner of the Nagaland In-Service Doctors Association (NIDA) who are on a three-day mass casual leave in protest against the state government’s failure to meet their demand of increasing their superannuation age from 60 to 62 years.
NPP Nagaland State said today in a press release that the Central Government itself had already increased the superannuation age of the Central Doctors to 65 years way back in 2017. Therefore, NPP said, “it is a matter of great worry and shame that the State Government has failed to understand and recognize the legitimate demand of the doctors to increase the superannuation age.”
Condemning the “lackadaisical attitude” of the State Government on the issue, NPP stated that the government doctors have been sacrificing the comforts of their homes and families and working extra hours with added risks and threats to their own lives just to ensure that the health and wellness of the people is not compromised.
“If doctors and medical employees can make such huge sacrifices for humanity, why can’t the government even take this step forward? Why can’t they have the political will to listen to their woes and take up the necessary steps to fulfil this legitimate demand?” NPP questioned, while asserting that the government should take the responsibility of keeping the welfare of the medical fraternity above all partisan politics and ensure that they get the best service standards and facilities as per national norms, without having to demand for it.
The party also pointed out that many other states in India have already taken steps to increase the superannuation age of the government doctors. “All these prove beyond doubt that all the State Governments, irrespective of political affiliation, has the people’s welfare in top priority. This should definitely open the eyes of the State Government to take a positive step for the benefit of not only the medical fraternity but also for the general public as the state has already an acute shortage of capable and experienced doctors,” it said.
Further, the NPP Nagaland State also questioned the State Government over what it termed as “lofty promises of setting up two Medical Colleges in the state,” while adding that the Centre has already released Rs 170.10 crore for Naga Hospital Medical College and another Rs 242.50 crore for Mon District Hospital Medical College as per data provided by the MoFHW in the Lok Sabha on December 3, 2021.
In this connection, the party called upon all right-thinking citizens of the state to voice out against this “callous attitude of the State Government whereby it is not even able to fulfill even the most basic needs of the people especially in the fields of medical infrastructure and technical education.”