Government to rejig doctor postings to better use specialists

CHENNAI: The Directorate of Medical Education has initiated a process to shuffle and post 900 doctors, including specialists who have been posted at places that do not utilise their potential.
The directorate said many specialists in the state, particularly those on the clinical side (such as ophthalmology and paediatrics), were posted at non-clinical wings because either there were no doctors available for the posts or the doctor had requested such a posting.
“We are making amends. We want to place the right specialists at the right places,” said director of medical service Dr A Edwin Joe.
“We have enough doctors in most specialities. If we don’t need specialists in a particular department, we send them to district headquarters hospitals. This would mean they will have work for the directorate of medical services. This will also ensure specialty services in rural areas.”
Recently, several doctors were redesignated to suit Medical Council of India norms. “Several assistant professors were designated as associate professors. Some associate professors were made professors. This has created some vacancies which we need to fill,” he said. Counselling for the new postings will be held for a week.
The restructuring would mean that several doctors in the city could be asked to work in medical college and hospitals in rural areas. This has upset the government doctors’ association.
“Under a process of restructuring, MBBS and diploma holders will be posted in peripheral hospitals but specialists are asked to work in rural medical colleges. Why should they retain junior doctors and transfer seniors? Officials have said attendance at counselling is compulsory,” said Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association president Dr K Senthil.
“If existing doctors are expelled from the medical college to district hospitals, what will be the fate of doctors doing PG courses now?” he asked. He said if there is saturation in a speciality, the government should decrease the number of PG seats.