No policy on time-bound promotion of medical Profs

Tribune News Service

Patiala, October 28

State Medical Education Department’s failure to grant time-bound promotions to medical teachers has led to the shortage of faculty, says the Punjab State Medical & Dental Teachers Association (PSMDTA). They also advocated to de-link designation from pay scales, thereby, freeing the state from the financial burden, due to promotions.

The policy of time-bound promotion will release the medics from being apprehensive — all the time — about their promotions and would, thereby, attract more professionals into the teaching faculty.

Notably, In 2017, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (govt of India), under its medical education policy, had issued an advisory to Financial Secretaries of medical education of states in January 2017 for time-bound promotion. They had also advised to de-link the designation from pay scales to strengthen medical education in the country.

The ministry had said there was a shortage of medical teachers, despite the growth of medical colleges in India.

Currently, around 40 per cent of the sanctioned posts of the medical teachers at Government Medical College (GMC), Amritsar and Patiala are lying vacant. Out of which, the officials said, faculty shortage had been highest among the super-speciality branches as they (specialists), quite often, refrained from joining the government sector. Consequently, around 53 professors have already been re-employed in the two government-run colleges to safeguard the post-graduation seats as each PG student has to be supervised by a professor.

The advisory of time-bound promotion and de-linking the designation from pay scale — by the central government — was said to be issued after lot of deliberation at various platforms with Medical council of India. But, the state Government, on purpose, has ignored the guidelines — as alleged by faculty of GMC Patiala and Amritsar.

Experts said to produce more specialists, there was a need to increase post-graduation seats in the state medical colleges which can only be achieved by covering up the shortage.

PSMDTA opined that the immediate solution for the problem was a time-bound re-designation to the medical teachers which include assistant professor and associate professors.

Dr DS Bhullar, State General Secretary, PSMDTA, said, “The current shortage of teachers is a result of lack of time-bound promotions. The re-designation without, pay scales, will automatically create more senior faculty – immediately.”