GMC Patiala: 108 out 195 medical faculty positions lying vacant

Patiala: The Government Medical College(GMC), Patiala is undergoing a serious teaching staff shortage with a whopping 108 positions of the 195 medical teaching posts lying vacant.

According to recent media reports, entry-level positions have the highest number of vacancies, that is those of assistant professors. Of the total 92 positions, 53 are yet to be filled. 22 professor posts and 33 associate professor posts out of the total 37 and 66 respectively have yet to be occupied.

75 percent of the vacancies related to professors and associate professors are based on promotions of the teaching faculty. These positions don't call for advertisements, however, they still continue to remain unfilled.

Struggling with the absence of promotions, around 30 PCMS doctors, employed with the Health and Family Welfare Department, meet Minister of Medical Education and Research, Brahm Mohindra and submitted a memorandum urging him to initiate the process of promotions of PCMS doctors to assistant professor. They have been awaiting promotions to the teaching cadre for the past 3 years.

With no fresh recruitments made and retired professors being re-employed the upward movement of the PCMS doctors has been blocked, leading to protest from within.

Brahm Mohindra, however, assured the doctors that the process of promotions by the government had been initiated at all levels in the Department of Medical Education and Research (DMER). Entry level positions of associate professors will also be filled after these promotions were done with, the minister reassured.

According to Punjab State Medical and Dental Teachers' Association, President, Dr DS Bhullar: "The government, if completes the process of promotion of assistant professors to associate professors, in all probability, it will render vacancy positions of more than 50 per cent of assistant professor in medical colleges."

Principal, Government Medical College, Patiala, speaking to the Tribune stated: "The Directorate of Research and Medical Education (DRME) will soon hold the departmental promotional committee meetings to fill up the vacancies of assistant professors lying vacant."