With two state run medical colleges established this year and two more in the pipeline in the next academic session, Odisha government today announced special incentives for doctors to work as faculty in medical colleges in Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput (KBK) region.
A proposal in this regard was approved at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here today. The Cabinet felt that the state is facing acute scarcity of doctors to work in medical colleges located in remote areas and therefore need special incentives.
"Availability of adequate number of faculty has been found to be a crucial factor for starting the new medical colleges. However, it has been observed that doctors are not interested to join these new medical colleges situated in KBK, KBK plus and other districts far off from the existing medical colleges," said Health and Family Welfare minister Pratap Jena.
Keeping in view this aspect and to attract adequate number of faculty to such medical colleges and hospitals, Jena said the cabinet has approved the proposal to provide additional financial incentives to the faculties working in such new government medical colleges of the state.
Jena said the new government medical colleges have been divided into two zones. Those in the KBK and KBK Plus areas have been included under Zone-I and the others situated at least 100 km from the existing medical colleges established prior to 2017 have been categorised under Zone-II.
While professor in the zone-1 will get incentive of Rs 1,25,000 per month, associate professors to get Rs 1 lakh and assistant professors to get Rs 50,000 per month as incentives.
Similarly, the faculty in Zone-II will get Rs 35,000 for professor, Rs 25,000 for associate professor and Rs 15,000 for assistant professors.
Apart from this, all doctors, belonging to pre-clinical and para-clinical discipline like anatomy, physiology, bio-chemistry, pharmacology, forensic medicine and toxicology, pathology, micro-biology and community medicine working in the new government medical college and hospitals will get additional incentive of Rs 20,000 per month in addition to their monthly salary, Jena said.
At present, this will involve a financial burden of Rs 19.73 crore per annum from the state budget for the purpose of four new government medical colleges at Koraput, Bolangir, Baripada and Balasore.
In another decision, the cabinet accorded its permission for use of rivers, canals, nullahs and roads for construction of over-bridge by railway authorities on free of premium and free of incidental charges basis but subject to payment of capitalised value of land revenue.
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