Transfers cripple BJ Medical College

Govt transferred 125 doctors to otherdistricts just before annual MCI inspection; this has led to a massive manpowercrunch at the college

The recent transfer of 125 doctors in two batches has left several departments at Civil Hospital struggling to attend to patients.

The sudden shuffling came just before the annual inspection of Medical Council of India (MCI) but it is BJ Medical College which has to feel the pinch. Departments like paediatric, gynaecology, surgery, medicine and orthopaedic are left with just about half the staff required to function at optimum level.

The health department had transferred 45 doctors in October and on November 25, another branch of 80 doctors were shifted to newly started medical colleges in Patan, Himmatnagar, Valsad and Gotri.

Civil is serviced by BJ Medical College professors. In paediatric department, all senior professors along with the head of the department have been transferred. According to the transfer circular, a copy of which is with Mirror, six staff members have been shifted.

“A department has a head followed by associate professors. But now, as we all have been transferred, this department has become an orphan. There is no one to take adequate action in case of any serious development,“ said a doctor from the department.

INADEQUATE STAFF RATIO

According to MCI guidelines, all medical colleges are supposed to maintain adequate staff-student ratio. But as the newly formed colleges lack in staff, doctors are transferred from BJ Medical College, claims doctors.“They think that this college is the hub of doctors, so anytime they can transfer doctors to fulfil requirements of other hospitals. But what about this hospital?“ asked a doctor from surgical department where 50 per cent of the staff have been removed.Previously, the state government used to transfer staff to colleges where in spection was to take place. After the inspection, they were sent back to their parent institutes. But this time, according to transfer order, these staffers will not be transferred back until the vacancies are filled. This order has already started giving them nightmares.

Even those senior doctors who are to retire in two to three years have been transferred to rural areas which is against government policy.

BENEFITS AFFECTED

Transferred staff members are also upset because their years of service will not be counted as they will be serving at GMERS hospitals. “All the doctors who are shifted are highly qualified and have years of experience. But as now they are shifted to trust hospitals, these years of their service will not be counted while calculating their retirement benefits,“ said a doctor who will retire in 2016.As Mirror pointed out on November 27 (`Health dept acts, only selectively'), in the name of punishment transfer only seven doctors who were practising in both government and private hospitals had been transferred out.

DOCS' CONSENT NOT TAKEN

The transfer circular states that the doctors wanted the transfer and they were shifter after consultation with them. But when Mirror spoke to some of the doctors, they denied giving their consent or being consulted and said the circular was giving out wrong information.

“We have students here and have been practising here for years. So, why would we want to shift to any remote college where there is no facility?“ asked a doctor who has been transferred.

HEALTH MINISTER PAYS SURPRISE VISIT TO CIVIL

Health Minister Nitin Patel sent authorities at Civil Hospital in to a tizzy on Thursday night when he decided to conduct a surprise check. Patel, who had gone to meet an acquaintance at UN Mehta Heart Hospital, went straight to Civil Hospital's trauma centre from there, sources said. Besides checking hospital's registers, he visited the blood bank, MRI centre and spoke to the staff. Two cops stationed at the trauma centre complained to the minister about overflowing drainage line at the hospital, sources said. “They told the minister that they had been putting up with the issue of overflowing drainage line for three months. Despite complaining to their higher-ups there was no respite from the problems as the place had not been cleaned up even once, they said. They also told Patel that the stagnant water was a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The minister assured them that the premises will be cleaned up at the earliest and directed the authorities to ensure clean surroundings,” said sources.

Earlier Patel had ordered a probe into the theft of injections from Civil after the expensive injections were found at a private medical store.