Proposal to raise retirement age of AIIMS doctors to 67 rejected: Nadda

New Delhi: In a major setback to All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), the Centre has rejected a proposal to increase the retirement age of its entire faculty uniformly from 65 years to 67 years.

According to Union Health Minister JP Nadda, the proposal – approved by governing body of AIIMS – was turned down as it will have implications on central health services cadres and other central/state government medical services.

Replying to a question by BJP MP Ganesh Singh, the Health Minister told Lok Sabha that the proposal to increase the retirement age of AIIMS doctors to 67 years was cleared by the hospital's governing body at its 154th meeting held on October 21, 2016.

Notably, the hospital had approved the proposal reportedly to bridge the acute shortage of doctors in the premier healthcare centre.

Given that AIIMS receives about 8,000 to 10,000 out-patient cases daily, shortage of doctors is adding to the woes of visiting patients, as the premier healthcare institute faces a shortage of 10 per cent of doctors due to several reasons, including delayed recruitment processes.

Commenting on the development, noted gynaecologist Dr Meenakshi T Sahu said, "The government should have approved the AIIMS proposal, as it has been a proven fact that an experienced hand is always better for any healthcare centre. Considering the patient footfall at AIIMS, experienced doctors would always be valuable."

Dr Sahu, a former faculty at AIIMS, advocates raising the age of doctors at the insitution from 65 to 67.

However, the decision had miffed young doctors, who feel the move will hamper their growth prospects.