Doctors turn back on govt orders

Dr R N Panchal, also of the BMC, resigned in anticipation of his transfer along with Vaishnavi, while Dr Ravi Tiwari 8212; currently on leave 8212; has reportedly threatened to quit if he was not sent back to Vadodara after a short stint in Saurashtra.

For all three, these were the second set of transfer orders in less than a year.

While these three doctors have protested against the move, 10 senior BMC teachers 8212; including professors, associate and assistant professors 8212; have been transferred to the Surat Medical College in the past fortnight, reportedly in the run-up to the annual MCI inspection next week.

According to medical sources, the yearly ritual began four years ago, when the government bowed to the political clout of the Saurashtra region by opening two medical colleges in Bhavnagar and Rajkot.

Since teachers were hard to come by, mass transfers followed; while the Ahmedabad Medical College escaped 8212; apparently because of political influences 8212; and the Surat Medical College itself had a staff problem, the one to feel the maximum pressure was the BMC.

While the State8217;s only forensic expert, Dr Vijay Shah, told Express Newsline he had quit in protest against his umpteenth transfer from the BMC four years ago, at least 50 medical teachers have been transferred out in the past four years. Only half of them have managed to return to the BMC.

Apart from the doctors themselves, students, too, are upset by the frequent transfers. Members of the Junior Doctors8217; Association complain the teaching of several subjects has been affected.

According to State health minister Ashok Bhatt, there8217;s little to be done. 8220;I8217;ve been looking for teachers throughout the country, but unsuccessfully8221;, he says.

The MCI, on its part, believes there are only two ways out for the State government. Admitting he knew about the overnight transfers, its president Ketan Desai told Express Newsline, 8220;Gujarat can either slash the number of seats or increase the number of teachers to bring the student:teacher ratio upto our norms.8221;

The easy way to increase the teaching strength, according to Desai and Indian Medical Association president V C Patel is to relax the recruiting norms. Says Desai, 8220;The Centre has agreed to tap the service of private doctors for government service, but the State is yet to buy the suggestion.8221;