DISAPPROVAL OF P G SEATS IN KERALA In 2009, as part of improving the quality of health care delivery system, medical education and training, the government of Kerala have decided to implement Residency Program in Post Graduate Medical Education in Government Medical Colleges in the state. The Residency program is considered as ‘patient-centered’ and ‘responsibility based’. This will improve the commitment of the post graduate students towards patient care as they will be looked upon as responsible staff members of their respective departments. Individual care and attention to each patient by the resident or consultant will help to improve the quality of patient care in Government Medical Colleges to a level in par with the national Medical Institutes. The Post Graduate Academic Training will also receive a major boost as Residents become responsible first level managers in patient care in Medical College Hospitals. But; the Post Graduate Medical Education Committee of the Medical Council of India has decided in its meeting held on 10th & 11th of March 2014 to disapprove the increase in PG/super specialty seats approved by Kerala University of Health Sciences, Kerala. This will affect the students pursuing their post graduation courses in the respective departments in various Govt. Medical Colleges in Kerala. The students won’t be able to register their respective MD/MS/DM/Mch degrees and will be prevented from writing national level entrance examinations for doing their higher studies. This will hinder their job opportunities as well. The main reasons cited by MCI are in fact pointing to our lack of planning in health sector. Many departments are short on the adequate number of post graduate teachers required for training the post graduates. The staff pattern in our Govt medical colleges is not revised from time to time. There needs to be urgent intervention from the part of the government in creating new posts as well as in filling the existing vacancies. The current practice from the government is to hike the retirement age of the professors in Govt. sector. This is not a permanent solution. This practice worsens the current problem. Number of assistant professors in Govt medical colleges is less due to the deferring of appointment of new assistant professors by PSC. So once all these professors retire, there will not be enough number of junior staffs to fill their shoes. This will cause the entire medical education sector to come to a standstill in the near future. There must be urgent appointment of assistant professors/senior lecturers from the existing rank list published by PSC/by conducting new examination as there are 322 vacant posts under DME. The existing PSC rank lists consists of doctors more than in number to fill the current vacancies. New posts of associate/assistant professors need to be created to maintain the student staff ratio proposed by MCI. Our government is planning to start medical colleges in all the districts of Kerala. It is not at all possible without sufficient number of doctors to work. The present practice followed by Govt in case of Manjeri Medical College was to transfer the professors and associate professors from our existing medical colleges. This has resulted in disapproval of PG seats in those respective medical colleges by MCI. Meanwhile the promotion of teaching staffs need to be regularized as this was also a reason pointed out by MCI in cutting down the PG seats. The MCI has pointed out that associate professors in certain departments have not enough experience as assistant professor. The number of associate professors in certain departments where there is staff shortage, need to be increased via transfer from areas of surplus at the earliest to tackle the current crisis. It is not at all advisable to hike the pension age so that there will be new appointments. Bed strength and other infrastructural facilities of our medical colleges need to be improved as early as possible. We, the post graduate students in the Govt sector, are frightened regarding our future because our courses are not recognized. Now there exist a threat only due to the fact that, we had studied in a government medical college, we won’t be getting any job nor can practice with our degree.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Apr 2014 16:57:32 +0000
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