Chandigarh: In a move aimed at addressing the shortage of doctors in govt hospitals, the Punjab govt has extended the Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) scheme to medical officers appointed on or after July 17, 2020, bringing all govt doctors under a uniform career progression framework.The decision is expected to make govt service more attractive for young doctors, a category the state has struggled to recruit and retain.The finance department has approved the implementation of the scheme for doctors recruited on or after July 17, 2020. Under the MACP, medical officers will receive financial upgradations after 5, 10 and 15 years of service. Their pay will progress from Level 9 (Rs 53,100) at entry to Level 11 (Rs 67,700) after five years, Level 12 (Rs 78,800) after 10 years and Level 13 (Rs 1,23,100) after 15 years. The scheme will apply to doctors drawing pay under the finance department’s notification dated July 17, 2020.The notification completes a process initiated earlier this year, when the govt restored the career progression scheme for medical officers recruited before July 17, 2020. That notification, effective from Jan 1, 2025, covered doctors governed by the Punjab Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules, 2021, while stating that a separate framework would be framed for post-July 2020 recruits, who are governed by different pay matrices under the Seventh Central Pay Commission and the Sixth Punjab Pay Commission.The issue had been a long-pending demand of the Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA), which launched a statewide campaign last year seeking restoration of the Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP) scheme after it was discontinued in 2021 by the then Congress govt.The AAP govt subsequently restored the policy in a modified form as the MACP. While the earlier DACP provided grade-pay revisions after 4, 9 and 14 years of service, the MACP grants financial upgradations after 5, 10 and 15 years.Welcoming the decision, PCMSA president Dr Akhil Sarin said the move would remove disparities between different batches of medical officers and make govt service more attractive. “The extension of the MACP scheme to doctors appointed after July 17, 2020, is a significant and long-awaited decision. It ensures all medical officers are covered under a uniform career progression policy, which will boost morale, improve retention in govt hospitals and help attract talented young doctors to public health services,” he said.
