SHILLONG, Sep 20: The state government’s disinclination to regularise the services of specialist doctors appointed under 3(f) is learnt to be the main reason why experienced and freshly-minted doctors are not willing to work in the state’s health centres.
According to the 3(f) clause, continuance in service vis-à-vis the regularisation in service thereof will depend upon being selected by the Meghalaya Public Service Commission (MPSC) within the required position in the list of candidates recommended by the panel for regularisation.
All specialist government doctors are appointed as Medical and Health Officers (M&HO) under clause 3(f). The services of such doctors have reportedly not been regularised for more than six years, depriving them of increments and other benefits.
Many specialist doctors with triple degrees are ready to pay off the bonds as they feel their expertise is being wasted in doing general MBBS duty in the state. Some of them reportedly approached the Health department seeking permission to work in their specialised fields at government-run hospitals and health centres.
But they were told by the senior Health officials that they have to work as M&HOs instead of the assignment they desired.
The aggrieved doctors decided against joining as M&HOs and are now working in various private hospitals in Shillong and also in the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS).
The government’s policy is also not encouraging post-graduate medical students to join the state medical service.
According to documents received via RTI, a total of 137 specialist posts have been lying vacant for many years now. The documents revealed that 18 posts of medical specialists, 15 ophthalmologists, 13 surgeons, 11 obstetricians and gynaecologists, radiologists and psychiatrists (10 each), paediatricians, pathologists and ENT specialists (nine each), seven anaesthetists, six orthopaedists, five dermatologists, four biochemists, neurosurgeons and neurologists (two each) and cardiothoracic surgeon, nephrologist, gastroenterologist, endocrinologist, plastic surgeon, thoracic surgeon, medical oncologist and surgical oncologist (one each) were lying vacant as of December 7, 2020.
A majority of the bonded doctors today become specialists by pursuing PG after completing their MBBS degree unlike in the past when they joined the medical service immediately after their MBBS course and pursued PG later on.
Sources revealed that the specialist doctors appointed under 3(f) are being asked to work both as general surgeons and medical officers for performing general duties simultaneously. “These specialist doctors are ready to work at a lower pay package but are not getting the desired treatment. It is very demeaning for them,” a source said, adding that the government’s claim of a shortage of doctors was not true.
A source in the Health department said the last interview conducted by the MPSC for the recruitment of M&HOs was in 2017.
According to the source, the MPSC had issued an advertisement last year announcing 120 vacant posts of M&HOs. As many as 350 doctors, including the bonded doctors serving under 3 (f), had applied for these posts but the MPSC is yet to initiate the recruitment process. It is likely to be further delayed with the Health department still working on the roster system.
“There has never been a separate advertisement to fill up the post of the specialist doctors which are lying vacant. As per the Meghalaya Service Rules of 1990, the service shall comprise common post, general duty stream and specialist stream,” the source said.
He said the specialist doctors do not get any assurance about being absorbed in the regular service as the MPSC can also appoint the MBBS degree holders under 3(f).
A medical insider said the government appears to prefer appointing specialist doctors as M&HOs as they get their specialised services at no extra cost. But there have been instances of general surgeons being unable to perform surgery the morning after doing night duty as a medical officer.
“Finally, it is the patient who suffers if an operation has to be cancelled,” he said.
One of the doctors observed that as specialists, they need to work according to their specialisation.
“It is not justified to assign a specialist doctor who is not a gynaecologist to perform delivery duty in the labour room? This is what is happening in all the government hospitals,” he said.
The specialist doctors said they deserve better pay package and facilities than the MBBS doctors. “Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and Health Minister James PK Sangma had assured to look into our grievances but there has been no action to date,” the doctors said.
