KOTTAYAM: Considering the upcoming monsoon season, the government has extended the service of doctors under the Directorate of Health Services (DHS), who were to retire on May 31, 2016, for six months. But the move has created furore among job aspirants in the medical sector.
Though the state government in its order (GO (MS) No. 100/2016/H&FWD, dated June 2), stated that the service extension will not affect the regular recruitments through Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC), it is likely to delay the ongoing recruitment process under DHS as vacancies would be reported only after the retirement of the existing doctors. Moreover, the order came out at a time when PSC’s rank list for assistant surgeon was to expire on June 29, and on May 31 it had made another shortlist of fresh set of candidates. Interestingly, the government could recruit only 703 doctors from the existing rank list of 3450 doctors, which was published in March, 2013.
The Kerala Assistant Surgeon PSC Rank-holders Association has already come out against the order, alleging that the government was trying to sabotage the recruitment of assistant surgeons. “The previous government had conducted only a walk-in interview for the post of the assistant surgeon in 2012 pointing out that there was an exigency of doctors and had promised that 2000 doctors would be recruited in three months. However, the government had not recruited even half the number of doctors even after three years from the date of publishing the rank list,” said Dr V S Jithin, secretary of the rank holders association.
Jithin alleged that the government and PSC were playing hide and seek over the vacancies and recruitments under DHS. “According to DHS sources, 1000 doctors, including 231 vacancies reported in February, 2016, are required. They said all the vacancies have been reported to PSC and recruitment process will commence soon. However, when we approached the PSC, they said no vacancies have been reported to them,” he said.He urged the government to extend the validity of rank list to another six months after government extended services of 57 doctors, who were to retire on May 31.