Kerala: KGMOA meet to take up doc shortage in govt sector

KOCHI: The golden jubilee meet of the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA), the organisation representing doctors in the Kerala health service, will raise issues like shortage of doctors in the health service, hindrance to health service doctors in pursuing service quota PG and unification of pension age of doctors under DHS and DME. The two-day meet will be held in Kochi from Friday.

Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) president Dr V Madhu told DC that the number of doctors in the health service is abysmally low and the patients to doctors ratio still is the one that was fixed in 1961.

"As per that there exists a vacancy of 421 doctors in the health service under the Director of Health Service. There could be some change in this with MLAs pressuring recruitments for hospitals under their constituency. Still there is no uniform character across the state and for that a study is being undertaken by the Government in response to a demand by the KGMOA to understand the requirement. We want that study to complete early and the number of doctors should be fixed as per the increased population. Many taluk hospitals are under-staffed while many are over staffed. So a study about the requirement in each hospital has also to be made and staff deployed accordingly. This is applicable in the case of paramedical staff also," Dr Madhu said adding steps needed to be taken to lure more doctors to the service and retain the existing ones.

Dr Madhu said that at the entry level even the specialists and general doctors are given the same salary which makes significant difference after the completion of eight years in service. "There is no incentive for the specialists to continue in the health service. When they can draw double the amount in private sector, how can they be lured to public sector? The medical college teachers are better off," Dr Madhu added.

He said that the state government should pressurize the Central Government to amend the MCI Act to overcome the SC verdict regarding the PG service quota of DHS doctors. "The retirement age of DHS doctors should be increased to 60 equal to that of doctors under DME so that the shortage of doctors can be met to an extent for the time being," he added.