Explain faculty crunch in govt med colleges, HC asks TS, MCI

HYDERABAD: A division bench of the High Court has directed the Telangana government and the Medical Council of India to explain, by October 24, the reasons for the shortage of professors in government medical colleges in the state.The bench of acting chief justice Ramesh Ranganathan and justice J Uma Devi was on Tuesday dealing with a petition filed by the Society for Social Awareness, an NGO, represented by its president Dr G Harikishan Goud, against the action of the government in retiring experienced and qualified medical teachers at the age of 58 years but allowing them to be employed by private medical colleges till the age of 70 years. Moreover, the government did not take steps to fill the vacant posts of medical teachers in government colleges, the PIL said.

Senior counsel Sarasani Satyam Reddy, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that the government was setting up three new colleges without filling up the existing vacancies. An assistant professor requires the qualification of MDMSMCHDM degree and 12 years required for a doctor to qualify for the assistant professor post.

Thus, most of the doctors become assistant professor at the age of 45 but then retire at the age of 58 years. Most of the professors who gained  experience in government colleges are joining private medical colleges where the retirement age is 70 years. Every year about 80 professors are retiring from government colleges on attaining the age of 58 and joining private medical colleges. This is adversely affecting the quality of medical education and the quality of services to the poor and needy citizens of state, he noted.

The state government was sending the existing professors to the three new colleges to fulfil the MCI guidelines for securing its approval, the senior counsel said and sought directions to the state government to take steps forthwith to fill the vacant posts in government medical colleges.
The bench directed respondent authorities to file their counter affidavits explaining the reasons for shortage of professors/medical faculty in the state, and posted the matter to October 24 for hearing.