The government’s policy decision to start new medical college hospitals (MCH) in the State, and some of them by converting district and general hospitals under the Health Service, seems to have become a matter of concern among doctors over the imminent changes in service and administrative conditions.
Despite the Chief Minister’s assurances that their interests will not be affected, the doctors claim that they are being forced to go on ‘deemed deputation’ and that there is no clarity on their duty/clinic hours or night shifts, with the district hospitals becoming MCHs.
“We object to the manner in which prestigious hospitals under the Health Service are being converted to medical colleges without the creation of any additional infrastructure or human resource. Idukki needs an MCH, but why create another MCH in the capital by converting the GH, just five km away from the existing one,” a senior doctor asked.
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The government has been upgrading health institutions — primary health centres into community health centres, district hospitals to GHs—without creating a single post or adding facilities.
A patient from Parassala, suffering a heart attack, still has to be brought all the way to the capital even though the Neyyattinkara hospital, recently ‘elevated’ as a GH, is nearby, it is pointed out.
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“This is a game of ‘adjustments’ for the government. It is a plain fact that there are not enough PG doctors either in the Medical Education or the Health Service. The Medical Council of India’s approval will be at stake if they do not show us as working in the MCHs. Why is the government not appointing more doctors through PSC instead,” a KGMOA representative asked.
The government has given PG doctors in Health Service the option of joining the Medical Education Service (MES) on regular deputation terms and about 35 doctors have already given their declaration to the government.
The government has also invited applications from PG government doctors to work in the Manjeri MCH on ‘deemed deputation.’
Almost 70 per cent of the doctors in the former Manjeri district hospital have chosen this option, under which, they will work as the teaching staff of the MCH, but will continue to be paid the salary of Health Service, their benefits being the additional teaching allowance and non-practising allowance.
Disparity“Within the same hospital, we will have MES doctors, drawing a much higher salary than government doctors who will be doing clinical work. Those in Manjeri, who have not opted for deemed deputation to the MCH, will be transferred to other district hospitals, but where are the vacancies?
What about the specialists’ posts that the Health Service is losing when they are going on deputation. Will it be filled,” doctors ask.