Promotions are seen as one of the most desirable forms of recognition because of the positive impact that it has on their pay, responsibilities, influence, and career growth.
Promotion encourages employees to excel in their job and increases their interest in improving in the role and responsibilities. Sad to say, In Bangladesh, the diploma medical technologists, in their government service are getting deprived from the vertical promotions including their changes of designation, or taking new positions and responsibilities. The yearly routine increment or horizontal promotion is only their fate from the day of starting their job until retirement. Stuck in the 11th grade in their whole service life is a must. The only job holder in the level of diploma getting 11th grade at their entry posts. If we take a look on the others diploma service holder in the perspective of Bangladesh it will easily be cleared that diploma nurses, engineers and agriculture and fisheries have got their entry grade as 10th but the vital medical professionals are being deprived with a unknown reason.
Needles to say, the essence and importance of medical technologists. The recent covid has shown their roles and responsibilities in detecting diseases as well as management of Covid affected patients. The frontline fighters dedicated themselves to serve the humanity. The national and international media brought the hidden vital medical manpower to light and also their professional fight against worldwide pandemic.
Regarding their professional upgradation the step from high officials were always a little. About the upgradation issue, the last queries from the ministry of public administration in 2018 to the DGHS regarding the course length of medical technology diploma. There was an objection related to the tenure of diploma that time as because the duration of courses were 3 years and finally the authority rejected the application but changes have been done, the duration of diploma course is now 4 years from three.
A very few number medical technologists holding the senior medical technologists posts after a successful job tenure and experiences but they are from a particular department and it is less than 1percent from the overall numbers and departments.
The undergraduate professional diploma sector in this country needs an urgent reformation.
Anarchy is going on in undergraduate professional medical diploma sectors in Bangladesh! Although the professional diplomas have been suffering from discrimination in our country, the diplomas are still highly valued abroad. There, rather than educational qualifications or diplomasor degrees, the system of job promotion is kept by evaluating the individual's talent, thinking, knowledge, skills, experience and ability. A professional diploma holder can be promoted as par with a professional graduate in overseas employment.
The reality of studying diplomas in Bangladesh is strongly connected with the socio-economic perspective of the country. Having the economical hardships the family wants a secured professional life for their children ending their successful study tenure within less time.
First of all, Talented children of poor, lower middle class and middle class get admission in government professional diploma institutes. After SSC/ HSC the meritorious are admitted here without properly knowing details about the professional diploma course. In the government service, the professional medical technology diploma holders in Bangladesh getting their usual salary increment yearly but In what state they were started their government service, after 40 years of service, they are still in charge of the same chair.
Despite satisfactory tenure, they have no promotion! On the other hand, most of the professionals with professional degrees join the entry posts in government jobs in grade 9 and get promoted and jump to grade 2 or 1! Go super grade on it again! Then why a professional diploma will suffer this discrimination in the job field?
In Bangladesh, 4-year professional diploma holders mostly join at 10th grade. But only diploma medical technologists and SACMOs join in the grade 11 and it is a block post.
On the other hand, cent percent professional graduates get promotion in government jobs. There is no theory of block post in case of professional graduates. Even if one or two in a thousand are not promoted, their financial benefits are almost equal to the grade of the highest promoted in their respective posts.
Out of every thousand professional diploma holders in government jobs, only about 2 professional diploma holders are up to 5th grade and 4% professional diploma holders are up to 7th grade and 6% professional diploma holders are up to 9th grade with promotion! Although salary and allowance increased slightly in time scale, selection grade, post-change, respect and status of professional diploma holder did not increase.
At present, time scale, selection grade and 4 additional grade pay allowances have been abolished. Blockpost's autopromotion is only 2 grades in entire career. Autopromotion increases salary allowances slightly but does not higher any job rank.
Since last three consequent term, the government tried a lot to reform and redecorate the health services system and achieved noticeable improvement but the only a sector got out of touches mostly.
Being an important manpower in health workforce they didn’t get their proper due. As the queries have been solved, the step of providing them 10th grade at their entry posts in government service could have an effective changes in the health services system of the country. We hope the issue will be solved earlier with the cordial effort of concerning authorities.
Uttam Kumar
Development activist
