Manjeri medical college hospital suffers from doctor shortage

Malappuram: There are very few takers for the senior and junior doctors’s posts in the government medical college in Manjeri. The  college, which faces an acute shortage of doctors,  had invited applications for 59  posts from  candidates  in Malappuram and Kozhikode districts. But on Wednesday only 11 applicants were present for the interview. There are 33 vacant posts of senior residents and 26  junior residents.  For the senior post, only three applicants were present.

The medical college has 91temporary posts of junior and senior resident doctors of which more than half remain  vacant.  Many blame the low salary and high work load for the poor turnout in the interview.  Recently, more than 25 senior and junior doctors had resigned  for doing higher studies. “ The scouting for the doctors was limited to the region. Especially,  the availability of senior residents with PG is rare.  So it is natural that we haven’t got enough candidates for the advertised posts,” says Dr. Nandakumar, superintendent of the college.

“The pay package for both the posts is very low  compared to the private hospitals. So nobody with a medical PG would prefer to join the college,” said another doctor in the college. Dr. Nandakumar pointed out that the introduction of PG courses would help  solve  the shortage of doctors here. But the chances are low, he added.