Remove mandatory retirement' age for medical teachers: Dr Edmond Fernandes

June 10, 2016

Mangaluru, Jun 10: Dr Edmond Fernandes, CEO, Center for Health and Development [CHD-India] has written to Bhanu Pratap Sharma, Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Government of India urging to remove mandatory retirement' age for medical teachers in private and Government medical colleges and Universities.

Considering the acute shortage of doctors in the country, which is way below the WHO recommended doctor patient ratio, he said the senior doctors will be instrumental to guide quality control needed by accreditation councils like NAAC, NABH and improve the overall development of health sector and human resources etc.

In the letter, Dr Edmond mentioned that employment should be seen as a human right which ensures independence, social security and promotes a sense of dignity and self-worth.

Setting a time-line for retirement at 70 is obsolete and unfair. The medical teachers post 70 should not aspire for posts of Heading departments and moving as examiners to other institutes, that should be clearly declared of in an undertaking and they should be assigned other development roles, he wrote.

He pointed out that a few medical teachers have dual MD degrees and a few might have Dual PHD's and it is important to cultivate these teachers without letting them go. If the mental faculty of the teacher is sound with physical movement at ease, there should be no retirement as such. Ontario Human Rights Commission, advocated and came up with the enlightened decision to remove mandatory retirement on 12th December, 2006, many other countries have followed suit. He has appealed to the Secretary to table this for immediate solution.

The letter has been copied to Dr Jayshree Mehta, President, Medical Council of India and Dr Shalini Rajneesh, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka.

Comments

good job, u may get help from UT Khader.

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No cases yet, but vigilance high: Karnataka braces for Nipah threat

News Network

February 3,2026

Bengaluru: Following reports of fresh Nipah virus (NiV) cases in West Bengal and heightened vigilance across parts of Southeast Asia, the Karnataka Health Department has placed the state on high alert and activated emergency preparedness protocols.

Health officials said enhanced surveillance measures have been initiated after two healthcare workers in Barasat, West Bengal, tested positive for the virus earlier this month. While no cases have been reported in Karnataka so far, authorities said the state’s past exposure to Nipah outbreaks and high inter-state mobility warranted preventive action.

Officials have directed district health teams to intensify monitoring, particularly at hospitals and points of entry, and to ensure early detection and isolation of suspected cases.

High Mortality Virus with Multiple Transmission Routes

Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease that can spread from animals to humans and has a reported fatality rate ranging between 60 and 75 per cent. Fruit bats, also known as flying foxes, are the natural reservoirs of the virus and can transmit it by contaminating food sources with saliva or urine.

Known modes of transmission include:

•   Contaminated food: Consumption of fruits partially eaten by bats or raw date-palm sap
•   Animal contact: Exposure to infected pigs or other animals
•   Human-to-human transmission: Close contact with body fluids of infected persons, particularly in healthcare settings

Symptoms and Disease Progression

The incubation period typically ranges from 4 to 14 days, though delayed onset has also been reported. Early symptoms often resemble common viral infections, making prompt clinical suspicion critical.

•   Initial symptoms: Fever, headache, body aches, fatigue, sore throat
•   Progressive symptoms: Drowsiness, disorientation, altered mental state
•   Severe stage: Seizures, neck stiffness and acute encephalitis, which can rapidly progress to coma

Public Health Advisory

The Health Department has issued precautionary guidelines urging the public to adopt risk-avoidance practices to prevent any local spillover.

Do’s
•   Wash fruits thoroughly before consumption
•   Drink boiled and cooled water
•   Use protective equipment while handling livestock
•   Maintain strict hand hygiene

Don’ts
•   Avoid fruits found on the ground or showing bite marks
•   Do not consume beverages made from raw tree sap, including toddy
•   Avoid areas with dense bat populations
•   Do not handle sick or dead animals

Preparedness Measures

Officials confirmed that isolation wards are being readied in major government hospitals and that medical staff are being sensitised to identify early warning signs.

“There is no cause for panic, but there is a need for heightened vigilance,” a senior health official said, adding that there is currently no approved vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for Nipah, and care remains largely supportive.

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