LUCKNOW, July 24 -- Uttar Pradesh needs to make non-practising allowance (NAP) optional and allow private practice for those government doctors who want to see patients even after working hours, to bring more specialists into government service. That was the view of the office-bearers of the Provincial Medical Services Association (PMSA), a body of over 12,000 government doctors working across 75 districts in Uttar Pradesh, on Friday.

"Figures say that the government created 3,602 Level 2 posts of specialists for lateral entry directly. But in six years, only 486 specialists joined, suggesting that the service rules/policy isn't attracting doctors," Dr Yashvir Singh, president, PMSA and Dr Sharad Vaishya, the general secretary said, addr...