Amidst tall claims by the State government that it will soon create a hospital block for the new Government Medical College here at an estimated cost of Rs.360 crore apart from establishing a cancer treatment and research centre in its compound, organisations representing government doctors are seeking clarity on the ownership and administrative control of the institution established using Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes welfare funds.
The Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) has started installing flex boards and hoardings across the town asking why the government is not entrusting the Public Service Commission (PSC) with the task of recruiting staff for the new medical college. KGMOA district president K.G. Velayudhan alleged that the hospital administrative body was engaged in a recruitment drive bypassing the PSC.
Norms flouted
“It is the only government medical college where PSC is not allowed to make recruitment. The administrative board is appointing retired hands and those without proper qualification. Most of the posts are remaining vacant as they have not been reported to the PSC,” he said.
Doctors said no reservation quota system was being followed in the appointments though the government continued to swear that the medical college was established for the welfare of SC/STs. “There is lack of clarity over the nature of the medical college. Patients will not get free treatment if the authorities are going ahead with their plans manipulating the larger interests of the institution,” Dr. Velayudhan said.
The Medical Council of India (MCI) recently restrained the medical college from admitting students to the second batch of the MBBS course citing shortage of qualified teachers. Started last year, the first batch has 100 students.
Good infrastructure
The college, located at Yakkara on the outskirts of Palakkad, has better infrastructure compared to many recently started ones. But lack of qualified teachers has been plaguing its functioning from the beginning.
An expert team of the MCI that visited the college last year had warned the authorities against their lackadaisical attitude towards recruiting teachers. But no effort to recruit qualified staff through PSC was initiated.
Doctors willing
Earlier, about 25 qualified doctors at the district hospital here had expressed their willingness to join the new medical college as assistant professors. But, the college authorities rejected their candidature saying they could be recruited only as senior resident doctors.
During the MCI inspection, the authorities had hurriedly recruited two doctors from the General Hospital as assistant professors. However, the association of doctors took exception to this move and the selected doctors hadn’t accepted the offer. Doctors at the General Hospital said they could join the medical college immediately if the government issued a proper order.
