MUMBAI, May 12: Four full-time doctors of J J Hospital petitioned the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT) against the government's decision to bypass them for interviews to the post of honorary doctors.According to the petition filed before the tribunal on April 26, the state government had published an advertisement in newspapers inviting applications to the post of honorary assistant professor at JJ Hospital. The advertisement stated that candidates working in state, central, semi government and public sector undertakings could apply. Following this, the authorities received several applications, including those sent by the four doctors - Dr N O Bansal, associate professor of cardilogy, Dr M J Algotar, associate professor of surgery, Dr SK Gawhale, associate professor of orthopaedics and Dr VP Bagul, lecturer of medicine.The petition states that although several candidates received call letters for the interview to the post, the four doctors, despite their merit and experience, were not called.The authorities reportedly couldn't explain to the doctors why they were not sent call letters.Dr Bansal made representations to the authorities in March and April, in which he pointed out while temporary full-time doctors (appointed for a month) and even doctors attached to municipal hospitals have been called for interviews, the four doctors have been ignored. This attitude is discriminatory, said Banshal, who has appealed to the state health minister to personally intervene in this matter so that local candidates are given preference over others.The petition also points out that there have been several instances in the past where full-time teachers have been appointed as honorary doctors. The doctors claim that their own inquiries revealed that they were not called for interviews due to the state government's policy decision to not allow full timers to become honorary doctors.This decision is against the principles of natural justice since full timers were called for interviews when a similiaradvertisement was published in April 1998, says the petition. Finally, the petitioners have pointed out that in as per rule 4 of the Maharashtra Honorary Medical Officers Recruitment Conditions, 1976, there is no bar on full timers from applying for this post. The doctors have demanded that they be sent call letters for the interviews as well.Meanwhile, Interviews to the post of honorary assistant professors,. whiuch were held on April 28 and 29, the appointments to these posts have been kept pending till the outcome of this case. This case will now come up for hearing before the tribunal on May 11.
