Lure of lucre makes doctors ditch govt jobs in U.P.
39% of candidates selected for assistant professor positions in state-run medical colleges in Uttar Pradesh did not join duties, citing better pay and location of work in the private sector. The cancelled appointments will be re-advertised and appointments are expected to take over two months to complete. The state's medical education department is working to start one medical college in every district, with 63 already in operation and a further 16 planned on a PPP basis.
In a recent selection of candidates for the post of assistant professor in different state-run medical colleges, 225 were selected, of which 137 joined, and 88 didn’t. That is 39% of the total selected did not join duties.
The selection list was announced on May 31 and the selected candidates were asked to join immediately.
Better pay in the private sector and location of work is making candidates ditch government medical institutions and join the private sector instead, doctors said.
These candidates had been selected for 11 different medical institutes. Highest number of assistant professors who did not join service are 15 in Ambedkarnagar, followed by Azamgarh 14, Kannauj 13, Badaun 12, Saharanpur 11, Jalaun 8, Banda 4, Kanpur 3, Meerut 2, Gorakhpur 4, Jhansi 2.
Following the cancellation of a candidature, again, a fresh advertisement for appointment on these 88 posts of assistant teachers, and more (if vacant), will be issued and entire process for appointment will be conducted by the UPPSC. Such appointments take over two months to complete from the date when the advertisement is issued.
Not just in medication education but in the health department too, a similar situation had come up. In all, 1,057 doctors were selected after the interview and 415 were asked to join regular service in provincial medical services but just over 200 joined.
“If these selected candidates do not join by the last date given in the circular, a proposal to cancel their candidature will be sent to the state administration,” said Kinjal Singh, director-general, medical education (DGME).
Commenting on the issue, Dr Amit Singh, general secretary, Provincial Medical Services Association (PMSA), a body of government doctors said, “To fulfil the protocol of the National Medical Commission (NMC) and run teaching smoothly, specialist doctors from the PMS – since these specialists are already in state government service – can be deployed as faculty members, based upon their experience and willingness to join teaching posts.”
At present, the medical education department is working to start one medical college in every district in the state. At present 63 districts have medical colleges and a majority of them were started between 2017 and 2022. The state has planned 16 medical colleges on private-public-partnership (PPP) mode.
