The Non-Governmental Service Doctors Association has decided to move court, seeking to quash the State government’s decision to give additional marks to doctors in government service in post-graduate admission.
The government had constituted a committee following a Supreme Court directive after non-service doctors protested the award of additional marks and the quota for doctors in government service in PG admission.
The committee’s report had suggested incentivising the service of the doctors in government with additional marks, depending on the remoteness of the health centre. The committee classified 16 districts (2,300 centres) as being in difficult and remote areas that made it hard for doctors to serve.
The association is contesting the report by stating that according to the National Health Systems Resource Centre, only 72 primary health centres could be classified as remote or difficult to access.
Association secretary N. Kartikeyan said, “We are filing a case against the committee’s report as it is a violation of the Supreme Court order.
The State government drafted an order on March 15 to award incentive marks covering 2,300 areas when even the State’s 7th annual pay commission report has accepted that only 72 centres are remote or in difficult terrain.”
The association says the order violates the Medical Council of India guidelines and the NHSRC criteria, adding that Haryana and Rajasthan had accepted the MCI and NHSRC criteria.
Creamy layer
“It is to suit the State’s requirement that the classification has been made. There are difficult-to-reach PHCs even in districts not classified for awarding marks,” said K. Senthil, president of the Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association.
The TNGDA supports additional incentive marks and supports 50% quota in the State for service candidates. It wants district-wise classification as, in certain places, the less difficult districts interior places have been ignored.
“Though the association will not go to court, individual candidates may,” said Dr. Senthil.
“When I joined PG as a non-service candidate 30 years ago, I got the speciality I wanted. Even in the 1990s, no one went to court. The incentives are necessary as in an epidemic we have to slog and work even on holidays. It is wrong to deny incentives to these service doctors. Non-service doctors are from creamy layer who can afford to take leave to prepare for the entrance exam,” he noted.
Seat matrix
Three days ago the Director General of Health Services announced that registration for PG under the All India Quota seats for 50% seats was open but the seat matrix has not been uploaded yet.
Jaya Saigal, a student from Tiruvananthapuram aspiring for a seat in MD general medicine, said: “Since Saturday, the server is down. They have provided four numbers but there is no response. Today is the third day and the schedule is only for six days.”
