Various department heads at the Government Medical College, Ernakulam, on Friday took up the issue of running the day-to-day activities at the medical college with acute staff shortage.
With staff strength of 156 against the required 226 for the 100-bed medical college hospital, the doctors are said to be facing extreme work pressure.
At the college committee meeting on Friday, the doctors raised the issue of work pressure. It was decided at the meeting to write to the Directorate of Medical Education to either depute professors or at least appoint doctors on a contractual basis.
Four departments — forensic medicine, anatomy, community medicine and biochemistry — have no professors as heads of departments. The forensic department runs with just two doctors.
The general medicine, gynaecology and orthopaedic departments, where the medical college gets maximum patients, are all running with less than the minimum requirement.
“With just a neurologist and a superannuated cardiologist posted in the two super specialty departments without any facility, the medical college as a referral centre is a big joke,” said a senior faculty member.
Request to DME
Principal Ashwini Kumar told The Hindu that a request to appoint 11 faculty members including four professors would be sent to the DME.
The teaching faculty is having a tough time taking classes, attending OP and clinical teaching. The numbers of junior doctors too have to be increased to manage hospital duties properly.
