This story is from June 13, 2016

'Use expertise of experienced doctors instead of retiring them'

In the letter, Dr Edmond mentioned that employment should be seen as a human right which ensures independence, social security and promotes a sense of dignity and self-worth.
'Use expertise of experienced doctors instead of retiring them'
Mangaluru: A member of District Disaster Management Authority Health Task Force has written to the secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Government of India to remove "mandatory retirement" age for medical teachers in private and government medical colleges and universities.
Dr Edmond Fernandes, CEO, Centre for Health and Development (CHD-India) says that considering the acute shortage of doctors the country faces, which is way below the WHO recommended doctor patient ratio, the senior doctors will be instrumental to guide quality control needed by accreditation councils like NAAC , NABH and improve the overall development of health sector and human resources etc.

In the letter, Dr Edmond mentioned that employment should be seen as a human right which ensures independence, social security and promotes a sense of dignity and self-worth. Setting a time-line for retirement at 70 is obsolete and unfair. The medical teachers - post 70 - should not aspire for posts of heading departments and moving as examiners to other institutes, that should be clearly declared in an undertaking and they should be assigned for other development roles, he writes.
Dr Edmond points out that a few medical teachers have dual MD degrees and a few might have dual PHD's and it is important to cultivate knowledge from these teachers without letting them go. He observed that a medical teacher/ doctor studies till he/she is 35 years of age and what's the use of this hard earned medical knowledge , if it's not put to good use? "Those teachers/doctors who want to retire will retire anyway. But those who are active and want to be active can be sent to PHCs where there are no doctors,'' he adds.
Dr R P Pai, professor of community medicine, Yenepoya Medical College, who is 69, says he is willing to work in the remote areas, even in the north east as a teacher, if the post suits his expertise. "Age of retirement should be left to the system which will decide on the employment potential depending on the person's mental and physical fitness. When politicians don't have retirement age, why should a professional have," he questions.
Dr Edmond points out that Ontario Human Rights Commission advocated and came up with the decision to remove the mandatory retirement on December 12, 2006 and many other countries have followed suit.
The letter has been sent to Dr Jayshree Mehta, president, Medical Council of India and Dr Shalini Rajneesh, principal secretary, health and family welfare, Government of Karnataka.
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