The Indian Express 08.08.2012
Civic body plans recruitment incentive to get docs serve in smaller hospitals
The civic administration plans to give priority to resident doctors completing one-year bond period in peripheral hospitals while recruiting lecturers in medical colleges. There are 16 peripheral hospitals in the city, which are typically short-staffed with a few doctors opting to work there.
The BMC plans to modify the recruitment rules for employing lecturers, professors and other employees in its medical colleges by including an additional incentive for doctors who serve in peripheral hospitals.
The civic body has three hospitals — KEM in Parel, Nair Hospital in Parel and Sion Hospital — that offer medical courses.
“We have noticed a reluctance on the part of doctors to come and work in smaller hospitals to complete their service term as specified in the bond. Usually, they prefer to work only in the three major civic hospitals that offer medical courses,” a civic official said.
Besides these 16 peripheral hospitals, there are five super specialty hospitals, 26 maternity homes and 168 primary health posts governed by the BMC.
The doctors who opt to serve their bond period in these hospitals would also be incentivised in the same manner.
“These hospitals are perennially shortstaffed; even frequent advertising for medical professionals had not yielded any positive results,” the official said.
Additional municipal commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar said, “It was a major challenge to get super-speciality doctors for peripheral hospitals. This move will ensure that peripheral hospitals are well-staffed with good doctors. Also, it will be an added incentive for those who opt to work in peripheral hospitals.”
The list of postgraduate and super-specialty doctors was earlier given to the Central government, which took decisions on their postings in rural areas, The BMC had, since last year, asked postgraduate doctors to do their year-long bonded service in the civic healthcare centres instead of a rural stint.
Only about 300 of the 2,000 doctors who completed their post-graduation and super-specialisation from the three civic-run hospitals last year served in peripheral hospitals, super speciality hospitals and maternity homes after the civic directive.
Post-graduate doctors have to pay of fine of Rs 15 lakh and super-speciality doctors Rs 25 lakh if they do not want to do the bonded service.
