Faculty at medical colleges seeks ouster of monitoring panel vice-chairman

Patiala,October 2

The faculty at medical and dental colleges under the Punjab Government has demanded the removal or resignation of Dr KK Talwar, vice-chairman of the high-powered planning and monitoring committee, recently constituted by the state government for the upgrade and overhauling of government medical and dental colleges in the state. 

Dr HS Sohal, president, and Dr DS Bhullar, general secretary, Punjab State Medical and Dental Teachers’ Association, said the state government itself had admitted that the government medical and dental colleges had been allowed to deteriorate to a pathetic level by the previous government in the state when Dr Talwar was health and medical education adviser to ex- Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and now there was no point to involve Dr Talwar in the medical education policies again.

“Due to policies of Dr Talwar, autocratic style of functioning and his unwanted interference in the departmental functioning, the previous government failed to fill even the entry-level posts of assistant professor in medical and dental colleges, leading to an acute shortage of junior faculty as pointed out by the Medical Council of India during its inspections,” added Dr Sohal.

Dr Bhullar said all newly created posts were kept vacant for more than three years to fill the same under new medical education rules which were notified in 2016, which otherwise were to be filled under the old department rules as recently held by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in its interim order, directing the state government to fill vacancies as per the old rules.  They further rued that the promotion of a number of faculty members had been delayed and PCMS doctors, who were to enter the medical education cadre, were denied the promotion benefits. — TNS