Jaipur.
More than 100 resident doctors staged a strong protest at SMS Medical College in Jaipur against what they termed exploitation in the name of APO (Awaiting Posting Order) regularisation. The protest was held over the practice of treating doctors as APO for months after completion of their postgraduate studies, despite their continuous service in hospitals and medical colleges.
The protesting resident doctors said that even after completing their PG, they are regularly working in medical colleges and hospitals, attending OPDs, emergency duties and patient care. However, they are still being shown as APO, which has resulted in delays in salary payments and unnecessary administrative hurdles.
Doctors questioned the very basis of the APO regularisation process, stating that when there is no legal or administrative requirement for separate regularisation of the APO period, the process should not be forcibly imposed. They alleged that this long-standing practice has turned into a tool for systematic exploitation of doctors.
According to the resident doctors, several serving doctors from the previous batch have still not received APO regularisation orders, due to which they have not been paid their salaries for nearly 10 months. The doctors said that working continuously without salary is inhuman and raises serious concerns about the state’s healthcare system.
During the protest, doctors highlighted that while they are playing a crucial role in keeping hospitals functional, especially in emergency and critical care services, they are being pushed into financial distress. They said the administration is benefiting from their services while denying them their rightful wages.
Key Questions Raised by Doctors
The protesting doctors raised three major questions before the authorities:
First, if doctors are regularly working in hospitals and medical colleges, why are they being considered as APO?
Second, when there is no statutory or administrative mandate for APO regularisation, why is a separate order required?
Third, is it fair and just to take continuous services from doctors while keeping them unpaid for months?
The Jaipur Association of Resident Doctors (JARD) stated that this issue is not merely an administrative delay but a case of organised exploitation of doctors. JARD alleged that due to APO regularisation, doctors from the previous batch have been deprived of their salaries for the last 10 months. If APO regularisation is not mandatory, the association questioned why doctors’ careers and livelihoods are being held hostage.
Warning of Statewide Agitation
The resident doctors warned that if the issue is not resolved at the earliest, the protest will be intensified and expanded across the state. They made it clear that the administration will be solely responsible for any disruption in healthcare services arising from the agitation.