Lucknow, Nov. 3 -- All Employees' Welfare Association of the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) has urged the institute's director to increase the retirement age of employees from 60 to 65 years, citing examples of premier national institutions that have already adopted similar policies. In a memorandum submitted to the director on Saturday evening, Association president Dharmesh Kumar and general secretary Seema Shukla said that leading institutions such as IITs, IIMs, AIIMS, and several central universities have already raised the retirement age of faculty and officers between 65 and 68 years. They argued that SGPGIMS, being a top super-specialty institute, should follow suit to retain skilled and experienced staff for a longer duration. The memorandum highlighted that the healthcare sector is grappling with a shortage of trained professionals, and a significant number of senior employees have retired in recent years, adding to the workload across departments. Extending the retirement age, the association said, would ensure continuity of expertise, facilitate smoother training of new staff, and maintain the institute's operational efficiency. The association also pointed out that most employees remain physically fit and professionally active at 60 years of age, and their accumulated experience continues to benefit the institution. HTC...