Military assistant surgeons

A SOMEWHAT curious situation has arisen with regard to the employment of military assistant surgeons in the Civil Medical Department of this province. In August 1924, a resolution was moved in the Punjab Legislative Council, asking the Punjab Government to recommend to the Government of India that: (1) In future, no civil surgeons’ posts or other appointments in the Civil Medical Service of Punjab be reserved for military assistant surgeons; (2) Further importation of military assistant surgeons to the Civil Medical Department (CMD) of this province be discontinued; (3) All such surgeons serving at present in the CMD be reverted to the Military Department, and their places filled by civil assistant surgeons; (4) Till such time as this reversion can be secured, military assistant surgeons in civil employ (except those possessed of qualifications registerable in the UK) be entrusted only with duties in which civil assistant surgeons are not required to serve under them. The resolution was the outcome of genuine and widespread dissatisfaction among civil assistant surgeons, which had found strong expression in the Press and otherwise. If in spite of general support from the non-official benches it was defeated in the Council, it was mainly because the minister in charge of the department undertook to remedy the just grievance of the civil assistant surgeons and consequently all official members voted against it.