“Strengthen faculty in medical colleges”

From http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/19/stories/2007111957590200.htm

Doctors’ association plea to State Government

MADURAI: The Tamil Nadu Government Doctors’ Association had urged the State Government to form a high-power committee to work out definitive and long term steps to look into the shortage of teaching faculty in the medical colleges, according to its secretary K. Senthil.

The association had already suggested the Government to generate sufficient faculty members in the colleges.

Welcoming the Government’s intention to have at least one medical college in every district, the association wanted the State to take concrete decision to increase the number of faculty members, he said.

Expressing concern over the shortage of staff, the association stressed on the immediate need to find ways to attract more medical professionals to the teaching field and concentrate on developing health education in the State.

Citing poor remuneration as one of the possible reasons that might have forced doctors not to prefer teaching profession, the TNGDA demanded pay and allowances on a par with those being offered for medical professionals working in medical colleges and hospitals in neighbouring states of Karnataka and Kerala.

Already the Government was finding it difficult to fill up the sanctioned posts in the non-clinical side of medical colleges, Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEMONC) centres of Government hospitals and primary health centres located in remote areas. Further, with increased risk of contracting infections such as HIV and multi-drug tuberculosis, the medical profession seemed to a risky affair, said Dr. Senthil.

The association had also pointed out decline in interest among the students to pursue medical education due to poor remuneration package in this field compared to the IT sector.

The TNGDA had also sought for constitution of an exclusive panel to look into this issue.