MADURAI: At a time when the State is reeling under a dearth of medical postgraduate freshers owing to the delay in conducting PG counselling, the government is yet to decide on extending the service of MBBS graduates appointed as Covid Medical Officers whose six-month-contract period is set to end in less than 10 days.
In May, during the second wave of Covid, MBBS doctors who had graduated recently were recruited on a temporary basis by the State health department at all the government medical college hospitals in Tamil Nadu. In Madurai district alone, 80 MBBS Covid Medical Officers were recruited through the district collectorate at Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH). Sources said 76 of them are still working at the hospital.
Speaking to TNIE, Dr Vijaya*, a Covid Medical Officer at GRH said, “We were appointed in a cadre equivalent to a medical officer at a Primary Health Centre for a monthly salary of `60,000 onwards. Posted at the Covid wards, we were under the direct supervision of a PG medical student. In their absence, our role was on par with the PG students,” she said.
As the number of Covid patients at the hospital declined significantly over the months, the Covid Medical Officers have now been posted on eight-hour duty at non-Covid wards, especially in departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Cardiology, Emergency Medicine, and Neonatology since September, said Dr Vijaya*. The medical officers, until September, were on Covid duty every alternate week, and are now posted in non-Covid wards for three weeks and in Covid wards for one week, she added.
Another Covid Medical Officer at GRH Dr Mrinalini said after a week of six-hour-a-day duty, one week of quarantine was given to them. “Food and accommodation were provided at star hotels for 12 days continuously, including seven days of duty and first five days of the subsequent one-week isolation. After five days of isolation at the hotel, we were asked to rest at our houses for the remaining two days,” she said.
When contacted, Principal Secretary to the Department of Medical and Family Welfare, J Radhakrishnan, told TNIE, “The State government is yet to decide on extending the contract period of Covid Medical Officers recruited across the State. The decision will be made based on individual needs of government medical college hospitals.”
However, the call to extend the contract of Covid Medical Officers for a couple of months has grown louder due to manpower shortage caused by the delay in admission of postgraduate medical students. For instance, in Madurai district alone, a total of 257 postgraduate freshers should have joined Madurai Medical College by now, said official sources.
However, the NEET-PG, which is usually conducted in January every year was conducted in September owing to the pandemic. Despite the announcement of results in the same month, the counselling that was scheduled to begin on October 25 was stalled as the matter concerning 27% OBC and 10% EWS reservation in the 50% All India Quota seats during medical PG admission is under consideration of the Supreme Court. The next hearing at the apex court is on November 23.
Citing the manpower shortage, authorities of government medical college hospitals seek an extension of contract for Covid Medical Officers until the PG students are admitted for the smooth flow of non-Covid services without any disruption.
Quota row holding up counselling
Despite the announcement of results in the same month, the PG counselling that was scheduled to begin on October 25 was stalled as the matter concerning 27% OBC and 10% EWS reservation in the 50% All India Quota seats during medical PG admission is under the consideration of the Supreme Court.
(*name changed)