In response to resident doctors in the state withdrawing from emergency and Covid-19 duties in protest against delayed NEET-PG admissions, including at BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad, Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel announced on Thursday that deans have been empowered to recruit doctors to fill 50 percent of the vacancy until postgraduate admissions take place. The BJ Medical College junior doctors’ group has chosen to return to duty, supporting the initiative.
Resident doctors in Gujarat have been protesting the delay in NEET-PG admissions, primarily on the ground that the absence of postgraduate doctors increases their load. A demand from the protesting doctors in the state has been to appoint medical officers to assist in the resident doctors’ work until the new batch joins. Patel added regular recruitments by the state are ongoing.
Deans have been given the authority to employ around 543 resident doctors at a stipend of Rs 63,000 until NEET-PG admissions are performed on a temporary basis for state government-run hospitals in cities such as Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, and Bhavnagar.
Due to the delay in counselling, first-year postgraduate posts in medical colleges will be ad-hoc appointments, with eligible candidates being those who have completed their MBBS, taken the NEET-PG test, and received their results, to be appointed as ‘junior residents.’
As a dean of a government medical college explained, “With no first year admissions, one-third of the postgraduate student strength is missing. There are students who are sitting at home after completing NEET-PG exams, waiting for the counselling. So this will be a win-win situation, where our burden reduces and those sitting at home also get to gather experience.”
In a press conference, Patel also announced that the state has appointed 260 MBBS doctors through GPSC and around 100 experts at PHC, CHC, and district-level hospitals. According to a press release from the state government, 165 MBBS doctors will be assigned to six state government-run hospitals.
“If a decision (from the Supreme Court) comes, well and good,” Patel said, “but if not, Gujarat government is making sufficient arrangements to take off the burden (from resident doctors).” The matter of NEET-PG counselling is pending before the Supreme Court due to a government notification pertaining to reservation for OBC and EWS in all-India seats being challenged before the top court.
The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA), an all-India organisation, announced on Wednesday that it will postpone its protests for a week, citing assurances from Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya that the Prime Minister’s office is looking into the matter and that the process will be completed within a week.
Another reason for the association’s decision to postpone the protest is “considering the security situation in the country as a result of the untimely death of Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, and other army personnel,” according to the press release.
While Patel mentioned FORDA’s release during his press conference, the Junior Doctors’ Association of BJ Medical College (JDA BJMC) clarified in a statement that it is “not associated with FORDA or any such associations.”