In a display of dissent, doctors staged protests outside the office of the Director of Medical Education (DME) on Tuesday, protesting against the recent promotion of associate professors. The protesting doctors accused the government of deliberately underreporting vacancies, while the DME said that a section of doctors are unnecessarily creating confusion and stalling the counselling process.
According to vice president of the Telangana Teaching Government Doctors Association (TTGDA) Kiran Madala, there are approximately 781 vacancies for the post of associate professors. However, there were only 189 eligible candidates this year, leading the government to declare only 189 vacancies. Dr. Madala emphasized that the purpose of counseling is to reveal all available vacancies. With medical colleges now established in every district of the State, doctors are eager to accept promotions and contribute to these new institutions. To facilitate this, the government must demonstrate the existence of vacancies in these medical colleges.
The government’s released seat matrix comprises 25 medical colleges with 189 vacancies. Dr. Kiran also noted that the transfer list for associate professors, earlier released by the government, includes a total of 781 vacancies across 21 medical colleges.
DME Ramesh Reddy justified the reporting practices by pointing out the establishment of numerous medical colleges. He clarified that promotions may involve assigning faculty members to different institutions. Consequently, the seat matrix was prepared accordingly. Dr. Reddy argued against disclosing all vacancies during counselling, as it may lead doctors to select nearby colleges, leaving distant locations understaffed. The government’s goal is to ensure specialized medical professionals are available in every corner of the State. Further, the faculty requirements may vary between different years of study, necessitating a comprehensive approach to staffing all colleges.
Regarding the ongoing protests, the DME assured that he would discuss the matter with the government and take a decision based on the outcome of those discussions.
