VIJAYAWADA: Despite Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s order to strengthen the health department by filling up all vacant posts, as many as 11 posts of medical superintendents and principals in as many government medical colleges and five upcoming ones are lying vacant. This is seriously affecting healthcare in the state.
Eight posts of medical superintendents and three posts of principals in both existing and upcoming government medical colleges have been lying vacant for the last five to six months. Incharge superintendents and principals are handling the day-to-day affairs of these institutions.
Though the suitable persons have been identified for these posts, the directorate of medical education is delaying fresh postings and encouraging the incharges to run the medical colleges on an ad hoc basis.
Health department sources maintain that several eligible persons had submitted applications to the DME, which have not been acted upon. No court cases are pending against filling up of the vacancies in the government medical colleges. Nor is there any other hurdle in any form, the sources say.
They also say the procedure is simple for filling up such vacancies. While the eligible persons have been identified, the departmental promotion committee needs only meet and decide on elevation of eligible professors as medical superintendent and principals.
The sources note that AP is facing a threat from the spread of H3N2 influenza. This makes it all the more urgent to fill up all vacant posts in the medical colleges so that the patients would get prompt healthcare. All government medical colleges have attached hospitals taking care of a lot of patients.
A senior professor at a government medical college said, “It is better to have regular heads for government medical colleges to take quick decisions to deal with any health issue. The incharges may not be able to do so.”
Director of medical education, Dr V. Vinod Kumar, said, “The National Medical Commission officials are inspecting our colleges and laying more emphasis on the eligibility of faculty members. Our priority is to elevate associate professors as professors. We will focus on elevating professors as medical superintendents and principals. Posting orders shall be issued to them soon.”
