Work pressure, verbal abuse discouraging doctors from taking up promotions, says govt. doctors’ body

The government should inquire about our issues before putting the blame on us. They will meet the Health Minister and submit a representation, says Government Doctors’ Association president D. Jayadheer Babu

Earlier this week, Minister for Health, Medical Sciences and Family Welfare Y. Satya Kumar Yadav expressed concern over 32% eligible associate professors refusing to be promoted as professors.

Out of 28 eligible candidates, 19 accepted the promotion while the remaining declined it. On March 14, while promoting nine government doctors to the post of District Coordinator of Health Services (DCHS), the Health Minister expressed concern once again over 50 of the 85 eligible candidates declining the offer to be promoted to the post.

DCHSs oversee the functioning of Community Health Centres, District and Area Hospitals at the district level. There are a total of 224 hospitals in the secondary healthcare sector in these three categories. Civil surgeons with three years of service are promoted to the rank of DCHS.

In both the cases, the location not being to the liking of the candidates was cited by the government as the reason for their refusal. Also, a provision allowing doctors to reject promotion any number of times was leading to this situation, an official press note said. The doctors were rejecting the offer till they got a posting at the place of their liking, it added. 

However, the government doctors said it was unfair on the part of the State government to put the blame on them. The Government Doctors’ Association president D. Jayadheer Babu said work load and pressure were the major determinants of many rejecting the promotions.

Faculty shortage

“While work is under way on new government medical colleges, no one is addressing the issue of shortage of faculty in the existing colleges in the State. If there is less burden, more doctors will accept promotions,” he pointed out, adding that lack of transparency in the process of transfers was another reason.

Elaborating on the last part, he said there was no knowing if, after working for two years at a given location on promotion, one could go back to their desired or original place. “There is a lack of a proper system in place regarding transfers and promotions. If the government addresses some of these issues, we would be more than willing to accept promotions.’‘

Moreover, except for the medical college in Nellore, no other government medical college in the State has residential quarters for doctors. “Provision of quarters for us will instill a sense of security among doctors. Due to the lack of such an arrangement, lady doctors find it difficult to shift to a new location,” he said.

On why some government doctors were unwilling to take up the position of DCHSs, Dr. Jayadheer Babu attributed it to work pressure, unrealistic targets and expectations and verbal abuse on failure of meeting those targets.

“Doctors are being subjected to verbal abuse, which is demoralising and discouraging them from coming forward to accept the positions,” he said.

“The previous government issued a G.O. that permits us to reject a promotion any number of times. The government should inquire about our issues before putting the blame on us,” he said, adding that the doctors would meet the Health Minister next week to submit a representation.