Much ado about ‘nothing’!
Uttar Pradesh doling out a raw deal for govt docs desirous of higher studies
The masters and PG diploma/degree of the government doctors posted in various hospitals are bogus-- neither the Medical Council of India nor the Uttar Pradesh Medical Faculty recognize the MD/MS diploma/ degree they receive from the state run medical colleges.
Interestingly, the doctors who join provincial medical services and are desirous of higher studies get admission in the MD/MS/PG diploma courses after qualifying the entrance test.
The health department grants them leave to complete the higher studies.
But after completing their post graduate course, a large number of the government doctors find to their amazement that the same was not recognized by the Medical Council of India or UP Medical Faculty.
“Since the degree conferred by the medical college is not recognized by the medical authority, it is no more than a mere piece of paper,” says Dr PK Singh posted in Shravasti district.
The Provincial Medical Services Association (PMSA) has now planned to take up the issue with the state government.
Talking to HT, president of PMSA Dr Ashok Kumar Yadav said, “the medical education department has reserved 125 seats in PG courses in various medical colleges for the government doctors. The seats are unrecognized and certificates issued to the doctors are not recognized by the Medical Council of India or the UP Medical Faculty.”
Director general, Medical Education, and chairman of UP Medical Faculty Dr KK Gupta says, “only 74 PG seats are not recognized by the MCI. We are appointing faculties in the medical colleges and the norms fixed by the MCI are being fulfilled. We have decided not to hold counselling for the unrecognized seats.”
As leave for higher studies is considered a break in service, government doctors who complete the PG course and join the provincial medical services lose their seniority to doctors with MBBS degree due to their longer duration in the service.
Dr Yadav said they had urged the health department to remove the anomaly in the service as demoralization was setting among the specialist doctors.
A health department officer said the state government was planning to set up a separate cadre for the specialist as well as general doctors.