25 doctors quit PGIMER in six years

Doctors and patients at city government hospitals,including the premier tertiary care hospital Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research,seem to have an inverse relationship.

Doctors and patients at city government hospitals,including the premier tertiary care hospital Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER),seem to have an inverse relationship. While the number of patients at these hospitals have been ever increasing,there is a high rate of attrition of doctors in these hospitals. Sample this: In the last six years,at least 25 doctors have left the tertiary care institute for better career options,mainly in the private sector. During the last two years,22 senior resident doctors in different departments have resigned from the Government Medical College and Hospital,Sector 32 (GMCH-32). The situation is no different in the Government Multi Specialty Hospital,Sector 16 (GMSH-16) where in the last four years,from a strength of 18 doctors in the department of gynaecology,only five are left.

The dwindling faculty strength and rising number of patients,with an average increase of 10-15 per cent every year,translates into an overall increase in hassles from longer queues at OPDs to even longer waits for surgeries. The reasons for exit of faculty members range from better opportunities in the private sector and abroad to lack of avenues for growth and inordinate delays in promotions,internal politics,rotational headships in departments,extended working hours etc.

Many doctors leave due to personal reasons like family staying away etc. At any institute,some doctors leave,some new ones joins. Its a part and parcel of any institution, said PGIMER spokesperson Manju Wadwalkar. There is a loss to the Institute whenever any doctor leaves. For one,many of these doctors get prestigious fellowships on the basis of working at the premier care Institute and get an opportunity to learn new techniques. But they come back and resign,leaving the institute and patients at a loss, explained a senior PGIMER faculty member

In fact,in the last decade and a half,a total of 55 doctors have left PGIMER,with two from the Department of Cardiology categorically stating that the reasons for their exit were the Institutes work culture and lack of promotional avenues. PGI Faculty Association General Secretary Dr Ritesh Aggarwal,who is with the Department of Pulmonary Medicine,pointed out,This is a serious issue. We will soon convene a meeting of the Faculty Association and discuss the matter with the director as well if necessary.

GMCH-32 director principal Dr Raj Bahadur said,There are different reasons for doctors leaving government hospitals. One of them is a recent relaxation by the MCI that to join as consultant at any medical college,senior residency is not mandatory. However,for the selection of a faculty post through UPSC,senior residency is a must. So those who want to stay in teaching in top-rung medical colleges have to stick around government medical colleges as it gives them an enriching experience. For those who wish to join private hospitals,there is no such condition.

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