Nearly 30 per cent of the postgraduate medical seats in government medical colleges are remaining unrecognised since 2013.
The Medical Council of India (MCI) had let the government admit students in most of the seats, which it marked as irregular, on an assurance from the government that it will rectify the problems. But three years on, the problems remain unattended.
List of deficienciesThe MCI had pointed out a list of nearly 40 deficiencies in government institutions, which included lack of teaching faculty, inadequate senior residents, lack of original publications by professors, and various inadequacies in support systems for the departments.
The government had been dragging its feet on many issues facing undergraduate and post-graduate medical courses, and filling of vacancies is among the major ones. There are 2,125 posts in five medical colleges, of which 450-odd posts are vacant.
K. Mohanan, president, Kerala Government Medical College Teachers Association, said nearly 80 per cent of the vacancies were at the entry and middle level.
The MCI had brought in the stipulation of publishing original papers in 2014 for promotions.
But those who were drawing salaries in the professor scale before the new rule should not be penalised, said Dr. Mohanan.
“There are departments where professors are even without a chair and table, less to talk of publications or other facilities,” he added.
While Director of Medical Education Ramla Beevi claimed that no PG seat had been lost, the fact remains that 208 doctors completing postgraduate courses in a year cannot register their additional qualification as the course remains unrecognised. For instance, P.S. Jinesh, who completed post graduation in forensic medicine from Kottayam Medical College in 2013, had not been able to register till date since the department had not been recognised yet.
