As the nation is reeling under the second wave of the Wuhan virus, the Defence Ministry on Sunday (9 May) issued an order to the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) to recruit 400 retired medical officers of the Army Medical Corps (AMC), reports Time of India.
These doctors will be recruited into the AFMS under the Short Service Commission (SSC) for a maximum of 11 months contract.
Indian hospitals in several states are running short of health workers, vaccines, oxygen, drugs and beds.
The Defence Ministry’s statement noted: “Under the ‘Tour of Duty’ scheme, 400 ex-AMC/SSC medical officers, released between 2017 and 2021, are expected to be recruited on contract basis for a maximum period of 11 months.”
These medical officers will be paid a fixed monthly lump sum amount, which will be calculated by deducting the basic pension from the salary drawn at the time of retirement, it said.
The Defence Ministry further added, “The amount would remain unchanged for the term of the contract and no other allowances would be paid. The medical officers to be recruited are required to be medically fit as per civilian standards,”.
The AFMS has already been at the forefront and has deployed additional doctors, including specialists, super specialists and paramedics, at various hospitals as the government has granted them an extension till December 31, to augment the strength by 238 more doctors.
India recorded 4,03,738 fresh Covid-19 cases in a day, which pushed the tally to 2,22,96,414, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Sunday.
The death toll from the pandemic climbed to 2,42,362 with 4,092 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.
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