Minister expresses concern over professor posts in govt. medical colleges lying vacant

Minister expresses concern over 33% professor vacancies in government medical colleges, prompting promotions and refusals among eligible candidates.

Minister for Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Y. Satya Kumar Yadav has expressed concern over 33% posts of professors lying vacant in government medical colleges and directed the Special Chief Secretary to take measures to address the issue.

During the latest round of promotions with regard to 12 clinical and non-clinical departments in government medical colleges where there were vacancies to the post of professors, 28 associate professors, eligible for promotion, were called for counselling.

Out of the 28 eligible candidates, while 19 agreed to be promoted, the remaining reportedly refused the offer as the location was not to their liking, said an official release from the department on March 11.

“This means that 32% of the eligible candidates refused promotion as professors,” the report says, adding that at present, 33% of professor posts are vacant in government medical colleges.

The latest promotions were related to four vacancies in General Surgery and Psychiatry, three each in General Medicine, Pediatrics and Anaesthesia and two each in Orthopedics, Pulmonary Medicine, Radiology and Community Medicine and one each in ENT, Anatomy and Pharmacology.

Associate professors with 3 years of teaching experience and 2 publications in well known journals are eligible for promotion as professors.