TS doctors stir at DME office over associate professors' vacancies

HYDERABAD: Doctors awaiting counselling for promotions to the post of associate professors staged a protest demanding the availability of all seats across the state, outside the director of medical education’s (DME) office, in Koti on Tuesday.

A total of 189 doctors, due for promotions as associate professors in various departments of government medical colleges in the state, found that only 189 seats were shown, against a total of 900 seats, in the roster prepared for counselling.

The counselling session, which was to be held at the DME office on Tuesday, was stalled as doctors from across the state demanded that they must be given postings based on the total vacancies in the state.

Telangana Teaching Government Doctors Association (TTGDA) general secretary told Deccan Chronicle, “For 189 candidates, only 189 vacancies are shown. Many doctors are eyeing posting near their native while few others are willing to go to remote places and new colleges. However, there are no options for now. We are demanding the government to make all vacancies available so that the candidates have the option to choose.”

Meanwhile, the director of medical education Dr K. Ramesh Reddy released an official statement, stating that the postings for assistant and associate professors, as well as their promotions, were conducted transparently.

As per the norms of the National Medical Council, the government was filling vacancies in new medical colleges in the state on priority. But some doctors were unwilling to shift to remote locations.

 “The vacancy matrix is prepared based on the availability of candidates and requirements in various colleges. Some people are creating confusion and stalling the counselling process. The requirements of various medical colleges are the priority. But some doctors are unwilling to join the new peripheral hospitals in various districts as per the requirements,” Dr Ramesh Reddy said.

 The protesting doctors later met the DME and were assured that the health department would take a call on the available seats and revise the requirements for vacancies across the state.

 The counselling would be completed within two weeks, TTGDA members said.