*53 faculty posts vacant in SSH, 80 in GMC
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, May 21: Not taking lesson even after getting a blow on the issue of enhancement of Post Graduate seats and previous all MCI inspections for enhancement of MBBS seats from 100 to 150, Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu is still continuing with the policy of adhocism.
According to the sources in Health and Medical Education Department, right from the highest post of Principal/Dean, GMC Jammu has not seen any confirmed Principal after superannuation of Dr Rajinder Singh. Thereafter Dr Aniece Choudhary, Dr Shashi Gupta, Dr Ghanshyam Gupta, Dr Zahid Gillani and now acting Principal Dr Sunandha Raina all were opted as in-charge principal.
“Not only this, nearly 80 faculty members of GMC, Jammu and Super-Speciality block have been placed on various posts of Assistant and Associate Professors and Professors on incharge basis”, sources claimed. It is worth mentioning that the validity of these Own Pay Grade (OPG) orders is only for 6 months and administrative department is supposed to conduct Departmental Promotion Committee confirmation through Public Service Commission every six months as per the laid down guidelines of PSC J&K, provided the attempt is made by the concerned administrative department.
Sources further said that in every inspection conducted by Medical Council of India for enhancement of seats, Administration of GMC Jammu felt the heat of MCI inspectors for big number of faculty being on Incharge basis. As MCI only counts the head of faculty who is confirmed by DPC as per their bylaws and statues, GMC Jammu could manage somehow with the intervention of administrative department by giving affidavit by the Commissioner/Secretary not once but a number of times with the assurance to MCI that the faculty members placed on incharge basis will be confirmed by DPC/PSC in no time.
However, sources said, that this coming November GMC Jammu and GMC Srinagar shall be heading for final call from MCI in the form of final inspection with regard to availability of teaching faculty and infrastructure as per the gazette of India notified by MCI –Minimum standards requirement 2017.
“Further, it is true that GMC Jammu got only 13 PG seats enhanced in comparison to 37 of GMC Srinagar. This was based on two factors i.e. availability of already PG seats and confirmed Professors as well as Associate Professors in various departments. This student and teacher ratio has numerically decided the sanction of seats in both the colleges”, sources said.
However, if department introspects then it will realize that prime reason for this was the last DPC confirmation of faculty of GMC Srinagar unconditionally of more than 90 faculty members, with availability of more number of Professors and Associate Professors in various disciplines, which surely helped the GMC Srinagar to get comparatively more seats in comparison to the GMC Jammu.
“Had the DPC of nearly 80 faculty members been done of faculty of GMC Jammu which is due for almost one and half years in most of the cases particularly on clinical side, the situation would have been little bit different favouring Post Graduate aspirants”, sources pointed out.
Further, the State High Court recently issued notice to Secretary Health and Medical Education, Public Service Commission and Principal Government Medical College Jammu with the direction to consider the case of the petitioners for promotion to the post of Assistant Professor by convening meeting of the Review Departmental Promotion Committee before finalizing academic arrangements. The direction was issued in a petition filed by Dr Gurmeet Singh and others, who were appointed on the post of Lecturers in the discipline of Medicine in Government Medical College, Jammu vide order dated 28.01.2011.
Sources further said that as per the information available after the high level meeting held on May 17 at Civil Secretariat, out of sanctioned 300 post of faculty of GMC Jammu only 220 positions have been filled and in SSH the situation is even more worse, as out of total sanctioned 72 posts only 19 posts have been filled by the faculty.
Moreover, nearly 42 posts of House Surgeons are lying vacant since 2015 and no attempt has been made till date to fill these posts. Nearly 37 posts of Assistant surgeons are also lying vacant in Super-Speciality Hospital while 10 posts of Assistant Surgeons are lying vacant in GMC Jammu. Also, 41 posts of registrars are lying vacant in various disciplines of GMC Jammu.
Further in compliance to the order dated 31-5.16 passed by the State High Court in case titled Dr Ifshana Vs State and others it is required by administration of GMC Jammu to relieve immediately the doctors who have completed their tenure. Further selections are to be made strictly adhering to the rules and Government Order No 164HME of 2012 dated 02-03-2012.
“Only 6% of doctors can join GMC Jammu who are in-service on these deputation reserve posts”, official sources in Directorate of Health Services said, adding, the department of Health has already exhausted this percentage and thus is not in position to relieve any doctor who is in-service, for the post of Registrar.
They said that at least 20 doctors from Health department are victim of this flip flop policy of Health and Medical Education Department, as all these doctors have joined after directions of the High Court vide various writ petitions and none of them is relieved properly with service books and are without release of salary, since long.
Thus, Administrative department i.e. Health and Medical Education department needs to address all these issues immediately appointing/selecting permanent Principal through establishment committee of GMC Jammu on the analogy of GMC Srinagar and by stopping adhocism by issuing OPG orders and by immediately convening DPC promotion unconditionally like done in case of GMC Srinagar, besides filling up all these vacant posts of Registrars, Assistant Surgeons and House Surgeons, if they really wish to make GMC Jammu a premier institution and provide best health care to the patients.
When contacted, Bali Bhagat, Minister for Health and Medical Education said, all these issues are already in his notice and efforts are on to fill the vacant posts. “Recently, we advertised about 300 posts of Class IV vacant in GMC Jammu and associated hospitals and in the coming days various vacant posts of faculty in the GMC will also be advertized by the Public Service Commission, as they have already referred these posts to the commission,” he added.
Besides this, the Minister said that all the formalities to be conducted for DPC of various faculty members of GMC Jammu have been fulfilled and the matter has already taken up with the PSC.
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