The Jharkhand State Health Service Association (Jhasa) Dental Cadre will convene a one-day meeting at the North Chotanagpur Divisional level in Bokaro on Sunday, 30th June. The primary focus of this meeting will be to discuss the fortification of the Jhasa and address the various issues faced by dental officers across the division’s districts. 
Recently, the State Executive of Jhasa submitted a 14-point demand letter to the Principal Secretary of the Department, highlighting key concerns of the dental cadre. Among these demands, four specifically pertain to dental officers:
1. **Retirement Age Increase:** Similar to MBBS doctors, the retirement age for dental officers should be raised from 65 to 67 years.
2. **DACP Benefits:** Like in Bihar, dental officers should receive the benefits of four Dynamic Assured Career Progressions (DACP) by amending current rules.
3. **Promotion:** Dental officers should be granted pending promotions, which have been on hold for five years.
4. **Specialist Cadre Inclusion:** Postgraduate dental officers should be included in the specialist doctors’ cadre, akin to their MBBS counterparts.
Additionally, a forthcoming demand to be presented to the Principal Secretary calls for an increase in the salary scale for dentists under the National Health Mission (NHM). It also proposes that dentists working on contract should receive the benefit of work experience and age relaxation during regular recruitment by the state government.
Dr. Niket Kumar Chaudhary, Joint Secretary of the State Jhasa Dental Cadre and Secretary of the Organising Committee said:
The divisional meeting will address these issues to prompt departmental action on the demands. To ensure the meeting’s success, a district-level committee has been formed, including Dr. Mahalakshmi, Dr. Neha Verma, Dr. Rajesh Prasad, and Dr. Richa. The chief guest will be the Vice President of the State Jhasa Dental Cadre, alongside State Committee members and district and divisional officials. The Secretary and former Secretary of the State Jhasa will be special guests.
