BHUBANESWAR : The government medical colleges in the State may face shortage of senior faculty in coming years as the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) has not conducted the examination for permanent assistant professors since last four years.
Sources said around 250 senior doctors either deputed or appointed on contractual basis as assistant professors in different government medical colleges are on the verge of crossing the age-limit for appearing the next OPSC examination.
They claimed they were appointed at a critical time when Odisha government was desperate to get the recognition of Medical Council of India (MCI) for increasing MBBS seats to meet healthcare needs of the State. But they are yet to be regularised. “The posts against which the contractual/deputed doctors were appointed should have been filled through regular OPSC examination later. But due to non-conduct of the test on time, we lost our precious years and seniority. It will be very injustice to all of us if we have to compete with the freshers for the seats,” pointed out a doctor.
The doctors said they were selected on deputation basis with proper manner taking the career marks into account, which was the selection process in OPSC earlier. Taking that into consideration, all the contractual/deputed assistant professors should be regularised, they demanded.
“Most of the senior faculty will retire in next few years. If the government does not regularise the jobs of contractual assistant professors, there will be no promotion and the posts of associate and additional professors will remain vacant leading to a crisis,” said another doctor, who is supposed to be promoted to associate professor by now.
They are also involved in both treatment of patients and teaching of UG and PG students besides being a part of Covid-19 related activities like management of Covid hospitals in different regions of the State. The association of deputed and contractual professors has submitted a memorandum to the Health Minister and Chief Minister demanding immediate regularisation of their jobs. “The government is planning more medical colleges. How will they operate when there is shortage of senior faculties,” they pointed out.