Delhi govt seeks 10-year age relaxation to fast-track hiring for Ayushman Arogya Mandirs
The move is aimed at speeding up appointments at the soon-to-be-launched Ayushman Arogya Mandirs across the city, they added. According to officials, the Health Department has submitted a proposal to the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) seeking approval to increase the maximum age limit for contractual appointments. If cleared, the new age cap for Medical Officers will be raised from 45 to 55 years, while for Multi-Task Health Workers, it will go up from 30 to 40 years. The proposal is currently awaiting a nod from the L-G's office.
This newspaper had earlier reported that Arogya Mandirs will hire healthcare professionals on a contractual basis with fixed pay scales from National Health Mission, unlike the Aam Aadmi Party's Mohalla Clinics where doctors were daily wages model were followed. The medicos were compensated on a per-patient basis. A total of 1,139 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are planned to be set up in Delhi under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Infrastructure Mission in the city. Of these, 33 centres have already started operations, while the rest are scheduled to be launched by March next year. Meanwhile, CM Rekha Gupta is expected to inaugurate 34 more Arogya Mandirs and 8 Jan Aushadhi Kendras on Thursday. With the inauguration of 34 new AAMs, the total number of operational centres in Delhi will rise to 67.
Officials said the health department is under pressure to complete the hiring process within the next few months, and the proposed age relaxation could ease some of the constraints in attracting qualified personnel.
The current NHM guidelines set the maximum age for medical officers at 45 years, and for Multi-Task Health Workers at 30 years. 'The proposed changes, health department officials believe, will make more experienced candidates eligible for the positions and help bridge the staffing gap quickly,' a senior official commented.
Notably, no upper age limit was ever set for doctors appointed to Delhi's Mohalla Clinics, where many retired professionals continue to offer their services.
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