Netas don’t want PCMC docs to be permanent

During pandemic, the medicos at YCMH apparently did not take calls of politicos

At a time when doctors are feted across the world for their relentless services to fight the coronavirus pandemic, lawmakers from civic body of Pimpri-Chinchwad have made it a case of ego satisfaction. Cutting across party lines, the corporators have decided not to make 34 doctors on contract at Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH) permanent, as the medicos apparently “did not take calls during this pandemic”, thereby indirectly humiliating the politicos before the people who had sent them to Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC).

The corporator’s concern is that once the doctors are made permanent, PCMC will “lose control” over YCMH.

In August last year, PCMC came up with an advertisement for filling positions of 104 doctors in various specialties like general medicine, epidemiologist, gynaecologist, orthopaedic, ENT, chest disease, radiology etc at YCMH Postgraduate Institute. For the 104 positions, over 54 new doctors were appointed in April this year of which six had already been working with PCMC and 48 were fresh appointments. The 48 doctors were taken on contract for three years. While 14 of them could not clear a test conducted for permanent positions. New doctors were appointed later to fill up the 14 posts. Now, the 34 remaining doctors are supposed to be made permanent but the elected members are opposing it.

Sanjog Waghire of the Nationalist Congress Party said, “If such doctors are made permanent, the entire YCMH management will collapse and PCMC will have no control on the hospital. We have experienced it during COVID that the doctors are not bothered about patients. Around eight-nine patients have died waiting to get ventilators at YCMH. Even when a patient dies, they take five-six hours to learn about the incident. How can such irresponsible doctors be made permanent?”

He added quickly, “Citizens approach us with their complaints, and we have to call the doctors. We understand that they are busy but they should also understand that the situation is about life and death of a patient. The more they waste the time, the patient plunges into danger.”

Bharatiya Janata Party corporator Seema Savle echoed, “We respect doctors and we know that they are under pressure but all the corporators are going through a similar experience during the pandemic. They don’t respond to our calls that we make to enquire about the health of patients. Even if they don’t have time when we are calling them, they should at least have the courtesy to call us back they are free. It creates a bad impression of ours in front of the citizens that we are not helping them in their hard times. There are incidents when a relative of an elected member died and even hours after the patient’s death, the doctor was saying they are going to take the patient to ICU and put on ventilator. After this, the doctors claimed that the elected members are interfering in their work. For their appointment, they need our approval in the general body meeting but now we don’t want to interfere in the appointment while withdrawing the go-ahead.”

Dr Rajendra Wabale, dean of YCMH Postgraduate Institute, refuted the allegations, saying, “Our doctors have huge workload and don’t have time to attend phone calls or even eat. The doctors have been appointed for 54 positions and rest of the posts are vacant as the departments are yet to start. We are still waiting for their permanent appointment.”

Adoctor working at YCMH said on anonymity, “We left other bigger institute to serve at YCMH. Interviews were cleared and results were declared, but now PCMC is saying the doctors are ineligible. This is wrong.”

Santosh Patil, additional commissioner of PCMC, said there was clarity in the decision taken to disqualify 14 doctors purely on merit. “The decision for appointment of others will be taken in the general body meeting on August 26.”