Most government doctors transferred back in previous posts in AP

 ANANTAPUR: Within a year of their transfers, most doctors and professors of government hospitals are back in their previous posts, thanks to state government allowing transfers on mutual basis.

For example, at least 80 medical professionals holding various designations, including specialists, in Government General Hospital, Anantapur, had been transferred to different parts of the state like Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada in March 2022. Most of them are back.

The state government had affected transfers of doctors throughout the state to control private practice by government doctors. Most of the doctors, instead of serving public at government hospitals, had been concentrating on their private practices or making extra money at private nursing homes.

To check this, the state government transferred about 7,500 doctors and other personnel, including teaching staff from medical colleges and long-standing nurses, all across the state.

Anantapur Medical College witnessed transfer of about 80 personnel, including professors, doctors and nursing staff, to Kurnool, Kadapa and Srikakulam districts.

However, many of them reportedly went on long leave after submitting joining reports. A few of them started travelling from their hometowns to places of their new posting. Dr. Srinivasulu, who got transferred to Kadapa from Anantapur, died in a road mishap in Kadiri area while returning from Kadapa a few months ago.

Interestingly, state government started allowing mutual transfers among doctors. With this, most of the transferred doctors are back in their old postings. For instance, more than 80 percent of the staff transferred from Anantapur Medical College have returned.

Dr. Venkateswar Rao, transferred to Kadapa one year ago, is back as superintendent of the Government General Hospital in Anantapur.

Incidentally, a senior psychiatry professor from Anantapur took VRS following his transfer to Kurnool, which had no professor’s post to serve.