A government doctors’ association has urged the State to form a committee of professors to study the rationality of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes to address the shortage of specialists and secure the employment of future doctors.
The Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association also demanded that the Health Minister conduct inspections to improve care quality in government hospitals instead of seeking live media coverage of such visits. The members recalled various instances where the minister had faulted doctors and healthcare workers, which diminished the public’s faith in the system. Instead, they suggested a departmental inquiry to rectify the faults.
The association has called for addressing the severe manpower shortage among all cadres and displaying for the public the statistics as required by the Indian Public Healthcare Standards. It resolved in its general body meeting held on Sunday not to allow the government to expand further in terms of buildings and high-cost machines without recruiting the required manpower.
The association felt the health department’s insistence on biometric attendance was a tactic to mask its inability to fulfil the IPHS guidelines. The meeting that was held at Government Stanley Medical College thanked the government for the transparent conduct of transfer counselling for doctors while demanding a review of GO 354 immediately. The government order pertains to timely promotions and time-bound pay scales.
The members wanted representation in the high-level committee that addresses insurance issues for doctors in government hospitals.
