Kerala Administrative Tribunal Stays Govt Hiring MBBS for faculty posts

Kottayam: A stay has been imposed by the Kerala Administrative Tribunal (KAT) on the written examination that was scheduled for November 2 by the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC). The exam was to be held for the recruitment of lecturers in the Departments of Forensic Medicine and General Surgery with relaxed qualifications. This is bound to act as another cog in the wheel in the Directorate of Medical Education's (DME) efforts to make MBBS, the basic qualification for the entry cadre in the medical education sector.

The KAT interim order given on October 30, said: "All further proceedings pursuant to the notifications, including written exams have stayed."

The order was a result of petitions filed by Dr Neena Priyadarisini, and Dr Boban Babu, PG holders in General Surgery and Forensic Medicine, respectively. Their petitions challenged the recruitment move of the government to employ lecturers with MBBS as their basic qualification, for posts of lecturer in their departments.

The challenge was executed despite they being a part the PSC's rank list for the post of Assistant Professor in the Medical Education Department, which had come into effect on August 9, 2017.

The complainants said, "The lecturer post is non-existent as per the regulations of the Medical Council of India (MCI)."

They highlighted the government ruling that calls for persons with PG qualification, to be eligible for appointment as assistant professors. They also mentioned that a lecturer was to be appointed, only if a sufficient number of postgraduate candidates were not available in the respective departments.

The case will come up for hearing after 3 weeks.

The KAT had on May 23, 2017, also struck down the government move to conduct recruitment to entry-level posts in the subject of cardiology, with MBBS as the basic qualification.

Replying to a petition filed by Dr Sajeer Kalathingathodika, the KAT had declared that "only candidates with DM/M.ch/DNB in the discipline concerned are eligible for appointment" in that recruitment process.

KAT in a directive to the PSC stated: "ensure that only candidates who were qualified as per the regulations of the MCI were included in the rank list for the post of assistant professor in super specialty subjects."
Meanwhile, in another case filed by Dr Vidya Annapoorni and eight others in KAT challenging MBBS recruitments to the super specialty subject of Paediatric Cardiology, the PSC replied saying that the concession was being made due to unavailability of candidates in accordance with MCI norms. The Council norms call for requisite teaching experience.

Following this, the KAT had in a directive asked the PSC to do a one-time document verification of candidates claiming to have super specialty qualifications.

The case will be up for hearing on November 14.

The government's relaxation move in terms of qualification at the entry level in the medical education sector has created hostility in the medical community, reports TNIE.