The state government will set up five new medical colleges in Gujarat with massive transfer of 258 doctors cum medical teachers to peripheral medical colleges.
The state government wants to set up new medical colleges at any cost,” said a worried medical professor attached to Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society (GMERS) as 258 doctors serving in eight existing medical colleges and hospitals (MCHs) were transferred to the five new MCHs in the last four days – all for the National Medical Commission (NMC) inspections to grant Letters of Permission to MCHs in Morbi, Navsari, Porbandar, Rajpipla and Godhra.
GMERS applied for Letter of Permission (LoP) inspections from the NMC even before recruiting any Class-I doctors at the five new MCHs.
According to GMERS officials, they hope to begin admissions for first year MBBS from the current academic year 2022-23 itself.
Even as GMERS initiated a three-year ad hoc recruitment process for medical and paramedical staff in June this year, the process is yet to be completed. Till date, only senior residents and tutors have been given appointment letters, while even the Deans at the five new MCHs are temporary.
This has led to large scale transfers, perhaps the biggest in the history of the public healthcare system in Gujarat. For approval of 5 new medical colleges, the 8 existing MCHs at Sola-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gotri-Vadodara, Dharpur-Patan, Himmatnagar, Valsad, Junagadh and Vadnagar will be left with skeleton staff.
Dr Hiren Prajapati, president of GMERS Medical Teachers Association, declined to comment.
Meanwhile, 57 doctors were transferred to GMERS Godhra and 55 to GMER Porbandar on July 26. On July 29, 40 doctors were transferred to GMERS Morbi and 53 each to the new medical colleges in Navsari and Rajpipla.