Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, June 17: Notwithstanding clear directions of the Supreme Court for deployment of Medical Specialists on temporary duty during Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra, Junior Doctors are being listed for official duty during the pilgrimage, which is commencing from June 28.
Registrars in different departments of Government Medical College Jammu and Srinagar are being deployed for the Yatra duty in place of Specialists, who are learnt to have expressed their inability to perform camp duty en route owing to different reasons.
Despite the requirement of services of four Specialists from the Medicine Department in GMC Jammu, only Registrars of the said department are being deployed on the Yatra duty while alteration is allegedly being made in the Roaster for replacement of Lecturer with Registrar in Orthopedics also, sources said.
“We have been told by the HoD to be prepared for the Yatra duty as the Lecturers listed in the Roaster have refused to get deployed apparently because of their private practice,” claimed a Junior Doctor on the condition of anonymity.
Similarly from GMC Srinagar also, some Registrar and Junior Doctors are being deployed for the Yatra duty in place of Specialists on weekly basis.
Pertinent to mention that as per the Supreme Court direction, the Government had sought services of Medical Specialists, Surgery Specialists and Orthopedics from GMC Jammu and GMC Srinagar besides General Duty Doctors, Pharmacists, NOs, Technicians and Sanitary Workers from Health and Medical Education Department for their deployment on temporary duty during the Amarnath Ji Yatra for the current year.
The each GMC was required to furnish list of four Specialists in Medicine, Surgery and Orthopedics for the purpose.
However, despite having 14 faculty members in the Medicine Department of GMC Jammu, only Registrars have been listed for deployment during the Yatra while Specialists in the Department of Orthopedics, where number of faculty members is seven excluding HoD and two Re-employed Professors, are also being replaced by Junior Doctors in the Roaster, sources said.
When contacted, the Minister for Medical Education Taj Mohi-ud-Din admitted that some Registrars were being deployed on the Yatra duty in place of Specialists but he maintained that the replacement was not violation of Supreme Court direction in this regard. “Registrars are Junior Consultants and also Specialist though not officially designated so. For ensuring smooth functioning of GMCs and medical facilities during the Yatra, we have to maintain a balance and there is no question of not adhering to the SC direction,” he said.
Principal of GMC Srinagar, Dr Qazi Masood also claimed that there was no issue of Specialist or Registrar and the Government was fully abiding by SC directions on providing medical services to the Amarnath pilgrims.
Despite repeated attempts, the Principal of GMC Jammu Dr Shashi Gupta could not be contacted for her comments.
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