Bhatt promises a `better deal’

Students had threatened to agitate if the State government did not reconsider its decision to transfer 12 senior teachers from Vadodara to the new medical colleges of Bhavnagar and Rajkot. The Junior Doctors’ association has given the government a week to revise its decision.

A total of 42 senior teachers were transferred in the State. As many as 12 each were transferred from Vadodara, Ahmedabad and Surat, while six were transferred from Jamnagar.

Bhatt, however, was confident that the stir threat would never be realised.Talking to Express Newsline on Thursday, he said, “I assure you, I will not let the medical students down. "I have a better deal in store for them. I have already discussed the matter with senior doctors of the State as well as Departmental Promotion Committee heads and we have decided to clear 22 pending promotion cases, which includes assistant professors who would be promoted to teach in these colleges”, he said.

Bhatt said the Hospital Advisory Committees — to be instituted within a fortnight — would help solve various other related problems.

On the teachers already transferred to Bhavnagar and Rajkot, he assured that the transfers would not be permanent. Whatever was necessary to settle this aspect of the problem would be done, he said.

Meanwhile, students’ unions of all the four medical colleges have joined hands to press upon the authorities to consider their demands.

Office-bearers said unlike last year, when groupism sabotaged their stir, this time they would fight till the end.