Puja leave change for docs - NBMCH doctors who work all four holidays get five offs later

TT, Siliguri, Sept. 30: The North Bengal Medical College and Hospital will allow doctors who work in the Puja days to take leave before June next year, such an allowance being made for the first time.

Earlier, doctors had to work for two days in the Pujas and could take two days off.

This time, the hospital has told doctors that if they work all four days of the Puja, they will get five days of leave before June next year.

According to Nirmal Bera, the NBMCH superintendent, there will not be a shortage of doctors during Puja this year.

"In previous years, the majority of doctors used to take leave on Ashtami, the main day of the festival. But this year, it falls on a Sunday which is a holiday for doctors and there will be no crisis. On Sundays, the out-patient departments remain closed and a minimum number of doctors and other staff are required to attend to indoor patients," Bera said.

"Apart from Ashtami, there used to be a hands crunch on the other three days of Puja. But this year, we have decided to implement a new rule. Any doctor who works on all four Puja days will get five days of leave with pay. The doctors can avail themselves of the leave by June next year. We hope the incentive will help us persuade the doctors to work during Puja," Bera said.

He said even if the doctors worked for four days, five days of leave were being granted as an incentive.

The Bengal government has declared 11 days of holidays from October 6 to 16 for offices during Puja this year.

Currently, there are around 325 doctors at NBMCH.

Sources at NBMCH said those doctors who wanted to take leave during Puja could get two holidays but they would have to work on the other two days.

"Hospital authorities have worked out an arrangement under which at least half of the doctors are present to attend to patients during Puja. Doctors who work for first two days of festivities will be able to take leave the next two days. Similarly, doctors who take leave on the first two days will have to attend their duties the other two days. This arrangement was in place in previous years also. This way, hospital authorities want to ensure that patient care is not neglected," said an NBMCH doctor.