Seven long months after interviews for recruitment of doctors were carried by Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society (GMERS) in February, officials issued appointment letters only in the second week of October to fill just 25% of these vacancies. Even as 600 doctors applied for 350 vacant positions at eight hospitals run by the society —Sola, Gandhinagar, Gotri, Valsad, Patan, Himmatnagar, Vadnagar and Junagadh — and 450 interviews were carried out at the beginning of the year, GMERS has issued only 88 appointment letters.
On the appointments, Dr Bipin Nayak, Deputy CEO of GMERS told Mirror, “We have issued 88 appointment letters till date. Of these, two doctors have refused to join GMERS and so we will issue letters from the waiting list.” These letters have been issued primarily for positions in Medicine, Paediatrics, Anaesthesia, Radiology and Orthopaedic departments.
Doctors not applying in certain fields of medicine
Mirror spoke to the chief of GMERS to find out why only 25% of vacant positions were filled of the total 350. Dr Raghvendra Dixit, the CEO of GMERS said, “About 10 branches of medicine did not get any applications and so those files have been closed. We also did not find eligible candidates in some other departments.” Dr Nayak too said, “We will be looking to recruit more people soon as no candidates applied for positions in 10 departments, leaving those positions empty as of now.”
Two doctors reject GMERS, more refusals expected
Although 88 doctors were given appointment letters in the first and second week of October and they are expected to join by mid-November, it is highly likely that many may turn down the offer that has come too late. And the problems have already begun. Of the 88 doctors given appointment letters for positions of professors, associate professors and assistant professors, two have already refused to join GMERS. Dr Rajnish Patel, President of Gujarat Medical Teachers Association (GMTA), said that the lacklustre attitude of the government in catching young talent and employing them in the public sector is leading them to seek opportunities elsewhere.
Another round of recruitment inevitable
One month is the given period in which doctors are required to join at their positions at GMERS. Speaking about the prospects that many doctors will not join since the appointments have come so late, Dr Dixit said, “If doctors don’t join by November, we will advertise again after two months, in December or January.” Asked why doctors were not keen to join GMERS, Dr Nayak said, “It’s not that doctors don’t want to join here. It means there is a lack of doctors in the industry.”
