Walk-in interview fails to attract specialist doctors

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 14

A walk-in interview organised by the government to recruit specialist doctors for Covid-19 has got a lukewarm response with only 15 candidates opting for the post of medicine specialist against 40 advertised.

As the deadline passed on Monday, a large number of vacancies remained, prompting the health department to allow 20 doctors to join later.

To deal with the exigency, the government had started a special drive on July 3 to recruit specialist doctors through a walk-in interview.

The government advertised 140 posts of six clinical specialities, including internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, gynaecology, anaesthesia, general surgery and paediatrics. Against these, only 50 doctors joined till Thursday, while 20 specialists sought extension in their joining period.

Government hospitals are in acute shortage of medicine specialists due to a surge in Covid-19 cases. The post, however, got the poorest response.

Hussan Lal, Principal Secretary, Health, said the government would try to fill the vacancies. “Some doctors have sought permission to extend their joining period. We have granted it under the rules.”

A number of doctors have been infected with the virus, with a senior government doctor in Amritsar even succumbing to the disease last month.